Switzerland advanced to the Round of 16 with a 3-2 victory over Serbia on Friday, reaching the knockout stages for the third straight World Cup.
In a back-and-forth match, Remo Freuler scored the winner for the Swiss just minutes into the second half, set up by a brilliant backheel lay off by Ruben Vargas.
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Four goals were scored in the opening 45 minutes, as this became the first World Cup match since England vs Argentina in 1998 in which both teams scored multiple goals before half-time.
Xherdan Shaqiri had opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Serbia struck back with two goals in the next 15 minutes. Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic got on the score sheet for the Serbs, who needed to win to have a chance of advancing to the knockout stages.
But when Breel Embolo equalised for Switzerland in the 44th minute, firing home from close range, Serbia was heading out of the World Cup as things stood.
Freuler’s go-ahead goal after the break proved to be vital, as Cameroon’s shock 1-0 victory over Brazil brought the African side into the equation.
Key moment
Forgive the cute answer, but the key moment for me was a fracas that broke out in second-half injury time, and particularly the Swiss players’ response to it.
Switzerland entered the match with four players on a yellow card. This match saw a whopping 11 bookings given out, but the Swiss managed to avoid getting any of their players suspended for their next match.
Granit Xhaka, a man familiar with a red card or two in his time, was a central figure in the pushing and shoving, but did well to keep his cool enough to avoid a sending off.
Player of the match
Embolo did more than score the tying goal for Switzerland. The Monaco forward made contributions all over the pitch, doing well to keep possession and set up his team-mates.
The 25-year-old has scored two goals at this tournament after being held off the score sheet in four appearances at the 2018 World Cup.
Key statistic
Xherdan Shaqiri is one of just three players to score at each of the last three World Cups.
The other two? Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s some nice company.
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What does this mean?
Brazil has won Group G, while Switzerland advances in second place.
Serbia miss out on an opportunity to advance to the knockout stages for the first time as an independent nation.
What next?
Switzerland face Portugal in the final match of the Round of 16. The game will be played on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT, 2pm ET, 11am PT at Lusail Stadium.
(Photo: Getty Images)
