Xhaka apologizes after seeing red against Denmark

Granit Xhaka hasn't received a single red card since joining Bayer Leverkusen from Arsenal in the summer of 2023.

But the 31-year-old midfielder lost his temper during Switzerland's 2-0 UEFA Nations League defeat to Denmark on Thursday and was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in the space of four minutes.

Xhaka's first yellow came after an altercation with Denmark captain Pierre-Emile Højbjerg just after the opener, with the 31-year-old expressing his frustration that the Danes hadn't kicked the ball out of play in the build-up to the goal after Breel Embolo had gone down injured.

Four minutes later, Xhaka was shown a second yellow and a red card for an ill-timed challenge on Højbjerg that appeared to be deliberate.

The Swiss captain has since taken to Instagram to apologize after the defeat, writing:

"Defeats like this really hurt - I hold my hands up and apologise to the team."

Xhaka explained his reaction on the pitch in a post-match interview with Swiss newspaper Blick:

"I've become calmer in recent years. But when a game goes as unfairly as it did today, I get very emotional. The word respect is very important in football. But what the Danish players showed today had nothing to do with respect," said the Bayer Leverkusen star.

"We were exemplary in the first half. When a Danish player went down, we played the ball out. In the second half, the Danish players saw that Breel was down. But they didn't play the ball out and we conceded the 1-0 goal. The rest is history.

“I know it shouldn't happen to me. But unfortunately there are moments when you lose yourself. It's bitter for me and it's bitter for the team. It shouldn't have happened. But it happened and now we have to look forward,” said the Switzerland captain.