Switzerland reaches knockout rounds with thrilling win over Serbia
Switzerland secured the victory they needed to reach the knockout rounds of the 2022 World Cup on Friday, as they beat Serbia 3-2 in a thrilling, back-and-forth affair.
The Swiss (6 points, +1 GD) finish 2nd in Group G, joining winners Brazil (6 points, +2 GD) in the round of 16 next week. Serbia (1) go home bottom of the group, having taken their only point off 3rd-place Cameroon (4).
Xherdan Shaqiri opened the scoring in the 20th minute, when he found just enough space (and a helpful deflection) after Serbia failed to clear the ball out of their penalty area. Shaqiri lurked at the back post and quickly cut inside onto his left foot when the ball fell to him, securing a brilliant piece of footballing trivia in the process.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo & Xherdan Shaqiri have scored in all of the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups and Euro 2016 and 2020.
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) December 2, 2022
The lead lasted only six minutes, though, and it was Aleksandar Mitrovic who pulled Serbia level with a fantastic header after making the long run across the face of goal to the near post. The equalizer breathed new life into Serbia, who went ahead on 35 minutes as Dusan Vlahovic neatly tucked a slow roller inside the far post.
Again, the lead was short-lived, as Breel Embolo got on the end of Silvan Widmer’s cross in the 44th minute to make it 2-2 and push Switzerland back into 2nd place when halftime arrived.
It took no time at all for the second half to roar life, as the Swiss took not only the lead in the game, but a commanding hold on the last-16 place. Ruben Vargas cushioned an incredible first-time backheel for Remo Freuler to run onto and hammer home with his left foot, and perhaps capture the nonexistent award for Best Team Goal and/or Best Assist at this World Cup.
That assist by Ruben Vargas! 😍
Switzerland lead once again! #FIFAWorldCup
🎥: @TelemundoSports pic.twitter.com/Ze4sbfIfOs— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 2, 2022
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Up next for Switzerland will be a difficult test against Group H winners Portugal, who have the look of real contenders but were beaten by South Korea in stoppage time earlier on Friday.
[ MORE: Latest Group G standings, schedule, scores ]
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How to watch Serbia vs Switzerland live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 2pm ET, Friday Dec. 2
Stadium: Stadium 974, Doha
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Key storylines, players to watch closely
Three different goal scorers hit the sheet in the draw with Cameroon, and Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic remains a threat to score every game. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic continues to show huge value in the center of the pitch.
Breel Embolo has Switzerland’s only goal and will be continue to be a focal point, while Man City defender Manuel Akanji, Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, and Nottingham Forest’s Remo Freuler make the Swiss a tough team to break down.
Serbia quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 21
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 12
How they qualified: Qualified from UEFA via playoffs
Coach: Dragan Stojkovic
Key players: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Luka Jovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Tadic
Switzerland quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 15
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 12
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (1st place)
Coach: Murat Yakin
Key players: Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri, Yann Sommer, Remo Freuler
Switzerland reaches knockout rounds with thrilling win over Serbia originally appeared on NBCSports.com
