FELCSUT, Hungary (AP) — Granit Xhaka set a Switzerland record Wednesday by playing in a 119th game for the men’s national team.
Xhaka captained the team against Israel in a European Championship qualifying game in Felcsut, Hungary. Israeli teams are playing “home” international games in neutral countries because of the war with Hamas.
The 31-year-old Xhaka broke the record he shared with Heinz Hermann, who made his 118th appearance for Switzerland in 1991.
Now with Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen, Xhaka was an 18-year-old midfielder with Basel when he made his Switzerland debut against England in a 2-2 draw at Wembley Stadium in June 2011.
He first moved to Germany to join Borussia Mönchengladbach then spent seven seasons with Arsenal.
Xhaka has scored 14 goals for the Swiss national team. He is two appearances ahead of long-time teammate Xherdan Shaqiri, who was on the bench on Wednesday.
Switzerland will qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany with a win over Israel.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
