Switzerland reached the World Cup knockout spherical for the third successive match after prevailing 3-2 over Serbia on Friday to complete runners-up in Group G and arrange a spherical of 16 showdown with Portugal.
In a contest that ebbed and flowed at breakneck pace within the first half at Stadium 974, Xherdan Shaqiri put Switzerland forward however Serbia swiftly scored twice inside 10 minutes by means of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic to flip the sport on its head.
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Breel Embolo delivered one other twist in an absorbing opening interval by pulling Switzerland facet stage simply earlier than the break, whereas Remo Freuler scored three minutes after the restart to revive their one-aim benefit once more.
“It was a tough game and we battled back bravely,” mentioned Gregor Kobel, who deputised for Yann Sommer after the primary-selection goalkeeper was dominated out resulting from sickness.
“It was my first international match for some time and to have such an elimination game was something I enjoyed as a challenge. It was certainly not the easiest game. At the end, we are very happy to have won this.”
Switzerland had fired warning photographs with barely 30 seconds on the clock, as captain Granit Xhaka’s strike was blocked by the Serbian defence earlier than goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic denied each Embolo one-on-one and in addition Xhaka on the rebound.
Serbia loved a spell of stress after that early scare, with Nikola Milenkovic heading large from Dusan Tadic’s nook earlier than Andrija Zivkovic took goal from outdoors the penalty space and rattled the left publish with a robust effort.
Ricardo Rodriguez’s cross within the twentieth minute was cleared and fell to Djibril Sow, who picked out Shaqiri on the precise. The midfielder fired residence a strike that took a slight deflection off Strahinja Pavlovic on its approach into the web.
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Kosovo-born Shaqiri had shaped the Albanian nationalist image of a double-headed eagle together with his fingers after scoring in Switzerland’s 2-1 win over Serbia when the groups final met on the World Cup within the 2018 group stage.
There have been no provocative celebrations this time, nevertheless, as Shaqiri selected as an alternative to place his finger to his mouth in entrance of the jeering Serbian supporters and level to his identify on the again of his shirt.
Fulham frontman Mitrovic headed in Tadic’s cross to deservedly draw Serbia stage six minutes later. Tadic was concerned once more and slipped the ball by means of to Vlahovic, who steered a low shot previous goalkeeper Gregor Kobel to finish the Serbian turnaround.
But Embolo slotted residence Silvan Widmer’s low cross within the forty fourth minute and Freuler stored the momentum going by thumping within the fifth aim of the night, as two splendidly labored strikes from the Swiss assault proved to be Serbia’s undoing.
Midway by means of the second half, Mitrovic went down too simply after a problem from Fabian Schaer however his appeals for a penalty have been turned down, and the Serbian dugout spilled onto the pitch protesting the referee’s resolution.
The two groups squared off within the closing levels and Serbia practically snatched an equaliser within the last seconds of stoppage time by means of substitute Nemanja Radonjic however Switzerland held on to arrange a gathering with Portugal on Tuesday for a spot within the quarterfinals.
Switzerland have now reached the final 16 of each World Cup and European Championship since 2014. They completed second in Group G on aim distinction with six factors, stage with winners Brazil, whose second-string facet was surprised 1-0 by Cameroon.
Serbia, who wanted a win to present themselves an opportunity of advancing, completed backside of the group with just one level. They have by no means moved previous the World Cup group stage for the reason that breakup of Yugoslavia.
“When you lose the game, of course we think about [mistakes made by] the defensive line, but we defend and attack as a team,” Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic mentioned.
“We reversed it after 0-1 to make it 2-1, but again we didn’t play well defensively. It was so easy for the Swiss to score the second goal, which was really shocking for us. Psychologically, it was very positive for the Swiss.
“These sorts of issues at this stage of play are forbidden. If you repeat these errors, it is vitally tough to win. In the long run we should work laborious and do all the pieces to resolve the issue.”
Serbia vs. Switzerland – Football Match Report – December 2, 2022
Serbia vs. Switzerland – Football Match Report – December 2, 2022
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Serbia vs. Switzerland – Football Match Report – December 2, 2022