Swiss chemistry proving potent for Mehmedi

Carlsberg Sport Man of the Match Admir Mehmedi said even he could not explain Switzerland's success after scoring twice to help send his country into the semi-finals with a perfect record.

Pierluigi Tami's men completed their Group A campaign with a convincing 3-0 defeat of Belarus, who joined them in the last four. The Swiss have proved a cut above their opponents in the tournament so far, but Mehmedi was at a loss to suggest a reason for the remarkable self-belief that has swept them through in style.

"I don't know where our self-confidence comes from, but it's great that it's working," said the FC Zürich forward, who struck twice in the first half to provide the platform for Saturday's win. "It's really good that it went so well for me, but I must congratulate the whole team. We played well tonight, we deserved to have another clean sheet. We have won the group with nine points and haven't conceded. It doesn't get better than that."

Just as in their second game against Iceland, Switzerland took charge before half-time in Aarhus. Mehmedi swept home a sixth-minute penalty before doubling his side's advantage two minutes before the break. While substitute Frank Feltscher added a third in stoppage time to seal the victory, defender Timm Klose – unsurprisingly – took even more pride in a third successive clean sheet.

"We stood really well together as a team. We were always present in the game, we didn't give them too many chances and I must congratulate the whole side, not only the defence," said the 23-year-old centre-back. "When you do not concede a goal, it starts with the forwards. It worked out fine for us."

A semi-final encounter with the team that finishes runners-up in Group B awaits the Swiss on Wednesday. The country they will face in Herning will be decided on Sunday, yet Tami knows he already has to plan for negotiating a path to the final without midfielder Granit Xhaka, who is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the group against Belarus.

"I feel really bad for him, I think he's very important for the team," said Klose. "It's too bad for him but we have enough good players on the bench. They are looking forward to this semi-final and I think we can replace any player."