Euro 2024 Qualifiers: Steffen's Hattrick Sends Switzerland Into 5-0 Win Over Belarus

Renato Steffen's hat-trick propelled Switzerland into a flying start in their European Championship qualifying campaign as they beat Belarus 5-0 away from home.

The match was played behind closed doors in Serbia, at the start of Group I. Steffen, who replaced injured Xherdan Shaqiri, scored his three goals in the first 29 minutes of the game, giving Switzerland a halftime lead.

The 31-year-old, who has been at a crossroads in his career after moving back to Switzerland from VfL Wolfsburg in Germany's Bundesliga, said he has to be fit to stay in the national team.

He was selected to go to the World Cup in Qatar towards the end of 2022 but played only 31 minutes as a substitute against Brazil in a group game.

All three of Steffen's goals were poacher's goals, with the striker joking that he has scored more difficult goals in his career.

He said he was glad to repay the coach's trust and will enjoy playing for Switzerland as long as he can.