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Fans joked that Breel Embolo had a wardrobe malfunction after the Swiss forward came off the bench to score in a 3-1 win over Hungary at the 2024 European Championship.
In a match in which their talisman Dominik Szoboszlai became the youngest captain in the history of the European Championship, Hungary struggled from the start and Kwadwo Duah gave Switzerland the lead after just twelve minutes.
Switzerland continued to push forward throughout the opening 45 minutes and Michel Aebischer doubled the lead on the edge of half-time, scoring a curling ball from outside the penalty area.
However, the momentum swung dramatically in Hungary’s favor after the restart, and they looked within touching distance of securing a point after Barnabas Varga’s equalizer.
With 15 minutes to go, Murat Yakin brought on Embolo for Ruben Vargas and was rewarded for his faith in the 27-year-old.
Breel Embolo came off the bench to seal victory for Switzerland in their Euro 2024 opener against Hungary
The 27-year-old appeared to lose an article of clothing just before scoring in stoppage time
As the match entered stoppage time, goalkeeper Yann Sommer kicked a hopeful ball upfield, which was promptly seized by Embolo, who lifted his strike into the Hungarian goal and sent the Swiss fans into pandamonium.
Fans on social media noticed that Embolo appeared to lose an article of clothing just as he was about to seal victory for his side.
One fan joked: ‘Embolo did the right thing to keep running while his pants fell off..’
Another wrote: ‘Why do Embolo’s pants just come off?’
Another fan added: ‘At first I thought Embolo’s pants came off’
A fourth wondered: ‘What fell from Embolo? What is that?’
Closer inspection revealed that Embolo had been wearing a protective brace since he was introduced in the closing stages and it came off just as he was about to loop the ball over Peter Gulacsi.
Fans joked that they thought the 27-year-old had suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction
But upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was actually a protective brace he was wearing
Last summer, the Monaco forward suffered a cruciate ligament injury that threatened to put his career in jeopardy, forcing him to spend most of the season on the sidelines.
However, towards the end of the Ligue 1 season he managed to make some cameo appearances, before announcing his return to international football in fairytale fashion at the RheinEnergieStadion.