The last round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar goes to Switzerland. The “Nati” won 3:2 (2:2) on Friday in the promotion duel with Serbia and successfully defended second place in the group behind Brazil. After an exchange of blows in the first half with goals from Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri (20th) and Breel Embolo (44th) and Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrovic (26th) and Dusan Vlahovic (35th), Remo Freuler scored at Stadium 974 in Doha in the 48th minute crucial.
The Swiss team of team boss Murat Yakin meets Portugal in the first knockout round on Tuesday in Lusail. Serbia needed a win to progress. The south-eastern Europeans, as an independent nation, have to wait for a round of 16 participation even after the third World Cup start.
The game was explosive because of its history. In the group duel at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Swiss Granit Xhaka and Shaqiri, who have Kosovar roots, celebrated their goals with a special gesture: with their hands they formed the double-headed eagle that adorns the Albanian flag – a symbol of Kosovo’s demarcation against Serbia. The Serbs still regard the republic, which has been independent since 2008, as part of their territory.
Shaqiri and Xhaka should also be there on Friday. Switzerland, who had only one goal before the game, started ambush, Serbia’s goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic had to get in front of Embolo after 20 seconds and also parried Xhaka’s follow-up shot. Gregor Kobel was not idle either. The Dortmund goalkeeper replaced Yann Sommer in the Swiss goal after he missed the game like Nico Elvedi with a cold. In the 11th minute, Kobel was lucky with a shot from Andrija Zivkovic at the bar, the rebound bounced off a Serb right into the keeper’s hands.
An exchange of blows developed in which the Swiss presented. Shaqiri of all people scored with a low shot that was slightly deflected by Salzburg defender Strahinja Pavlovic, for the muscle man under contract with Chicago Fire it was the fifth goal in eleven World Cup appearances. Shaqiri has also become the first Swiss to score goals in three World Cups. The Swiss opened the door to the round of 16 – but Serbia answered.
Twice ball losses in midfield brought the Swiss defensive from the concept. First, Serbia’s record goalscorer Mitrovic headed in his 52nd goal in national jersey after a Tadic cross. Then Vlahovic was there again after submission by Tadic. The Juventus attacker, who was in the starting XI for the first time in Qatar after a foot injury, had space in the penalty area and deliberately shot into the far corner. Serbia was ahead and now also in the round of 16.
The tide should turn again before the break. This time the Swiss presented their attack carefully. Djibril Sow once again showed overview, Silvan Widmer an eye for Embolo, who converted the right-back’s cross pass from a few meters. The second half of the game started again with the same starting position.
The Swiss was again immediately in the game. Freuler, who failed to concede the goals in front of it, completed a combination over several stations including a heel assist from Ruben Vargas. The “Nati” then took the pace out of the game. With the Serbs, Vlahovic was over after just under an hour, Mitrovic was now supported by Luka Jovic at the front. However, since the Serbian playmaker Tadic’s strength was dwindling, there was no brilliant idea.
Switzerland had an easy game, deep into stoppage time Xhaka was still looking for a dispute with Serbian players. Cameroon’s late lead against Brazil added excitement. If the Africans were 2-0 and the Serbs equalised, the ticket for Switzerland would have been gone. The scenario should no longer occur.
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Source: Nachrichten
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
