Fabian Schär at the EUROs: "I am happy to be here"

Congratulations on reaching the knock-out stages. How proud are you and your teammates on reaching the round of 16 in the EUROs?

Fabian Schär: Of course we are very proud. Our aim from the beginning was to get out of the group and we have achieved that. They were not easy games and we were tested in all three matches. That is why we are even happier to have progressed in the tournament.

What has been your best moment in the EUROs so far?

Schär: Definitely my goal against Albania. It was a great moment for me to score the first goal for Switzerland at the finals and in the end it was the winning goal, too. I almost always go up for our set pieces, and on that occasion it all worked out. The goal also did me a lot of good.

There have not been many goals so far. Does that mean that you and all other defensive players have been defending well?

Schär: Defenders would be the first people to come to mind for that, but I have to say that we defend as a team in Switzerland. We have become a good unit and everyone fights for their teammates – from the front all the way back to Yann Sommer in net, who has also maintained this good defensive record with some of his saves.

It’s all or nothing from now on. What do you have to better than in the group stage?

Schär: We are yet to concede but we have also not scored a lot of goals. We are working on creating good goal-scoring chances, but we have to take them when they come. That is important from now on. We are looking forward to our next game at the EUROs and hope that it is not our last.
If you weren’t at the EUROs, you’d be on holiday relaxing. How is your body dealing with this extra burden?

Schär: It’s hiding it quite well. I’m happy to accept this extra burden at the EUROs and I am happy to be here.

You have a day off today – how have you spent it? What are your days like in between matches?

Schär: It’s nice to be able to switch off once in a while. Otherwise we’d be out on the pitch everyday preparing for the next game. We spend a lot of time together as a team. I use these days off to play a game of golf.