Swiss face uphill battle for survival

BASEL, Switzerland: Switzerland has been left with a mountain to climb at Euro 2008 but head coach Jakob Kuhn insists his side can recover from a heartbreaking defeat to the Czech Republic in the tournament's opening match.

Having dominated for long periods, the Swiss were floored by Vaclav Sverkos's superbly taken but scarcely deserved late winner for the Czechs on Saturday evening.

The disappointing end to an evening that promised so much more was compounded for the co-host by the loss of captain and leading goalscorer Alexander Frei to an injury that ended his involvement in the tournament.