Hosts pay for opening-day nerves

Belarus coach Dmitri Shevchuk believes his players suffered stage fright in their opening match against Switzerland on Monday as the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship hosts were soundly beaten on their competition debut. A series of defensive lapses helped the excellent Swiss establish a four-goal lead before half-time, dampening the mood among a record crowd of 5,000 spectators. Although Belarus improved after the break, and even scored a consolation goal, Switzerland maintained a strong grip, leaving their coach Yannick Schwery "full of joy" as his side surged to the top of Group A.

Dmitri Shevchuk, Belarus coach
The players were appearing at this level for the first time and unfortunately they didn't control their nerves. The people watching saw two different [Belarus] teams tonight because we got much stronger in the second half. We scored a goal and started playing much better but the game was already up. I was happy to see many fans in the stadium. They created a really good atmosphere.

Yannick Schwery, Switzerland coach
We are full of joy after this opening victory. I felt it was very important to score the first goal because the Belarus supporters were making a lot of noise. I'd like to congratulate the Belarus team who improved and made the second half very difficult for us. Next we have a very hard match with Germany [on Thursday] but it's too early to think about the tactics for that game. Right now we just want to enjoy this victory.