Serbia-Switzerland 2-3: goals from Shaqiri, Mitrovic, Vlahovic, Embolo and Freuler

Switzerland earned passage to the round of 16 by beating Serbia in the “play-off”. Yakin’s men, thanks to the 3-2 signed by goals from Shaqiri, Embolo and Freuler, will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on Tuesday, while Vlahovic and his teammates, thanks to the 8 goals conceded in 3 matches, finished the group in last place . And to think that Stojkovic’s men during the first half had the passage of the round in hand, then nullified by the amnesia of the back packet that had cost them the draw with Cameroon (after having been ahead 3-1).

DUSAN’S FIRST TIME

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That the match was going to be spectacular was clear from the outset, with Embolo and Xhaka coming close to 1-0 in the opening seconds. Serbia was decidedly offensive traction, with a 4-3-1-2 that had Tadic behind Mitrovic and Vlahovic, and the Swiss took advantage of it to attack the spaces left behind the three-man line led by the purple Milenkovic. It was no coincidence that Xhaka and his companions took the lead after 20′ with the very fiery Shaqiri who, after scoring for the third consecutive World Cup, silenced the Serbian fans who four years ago had undermined the Albanian eagle with his hands ( his country of origin).

The reaction of Stojkovic’s men was not long in coming: when they were strikers they often suffered, but with the ball at their feet they managed to create goals. And so from 26′ to 35′ Serbia overturned the result with a 1-1 by Mitrovic, who scored third in the event, and a 2-1 by Vlahovic, who scored first in the World Cup. For the Juventus striker, a real liberation propitiated by the second serious mistake by Freuler, who was also guilty on the occasion of the draw. At that moment Serbia was through, but before the break Switzerland equalized through Embolo following Widmer’s cross (2-2). One emotion after another in a match with too many defensive mistakes, given the level of the two formations and the importance of the stakes.

FREULER REDEEMS

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The two teams returned to the field with the same men and, as had already happened in the first half, it was Switzerland who got off to a better start. And once again the Swiss took advantage of the difficulties in the non-possession phase of the Serbs which allowed Freuler to redeem the previous mistakes and score the 3-2. Overturned result and Yakin in the round of 16. Stojkovic removed Vlahovic and Sergej Milinkovic Savic (who didn’t take it well and took off his shirt in anger on the bench), but the substitutes didn’t live up to expectations also because Switzerland kept the pitch well, controlling and rhythms and going close to 4-2 with Fassnacht. A lot of tensions in the final, but no 3-3 for Serbia who sadly left Qatar.