Serbia vs Switzerland result, final score, goals, highlights and World Cup Group G match report

Another thrilling final group match which turned this fashion and that ended with Switzerland reaching the final 16 of the World Cup for the third time of their final 4 makes an attempt after beating Serbia 3-2.

While the motion on the pitch was exhilarating, with the lead altering fingers on three events, the encounter can even be remembered for off-the-ball clashes between each units of gamers, whereas followers within the stadium needed to be warned about their behaviour too.

In a rematch of the ill-tempered 2018 World Cup conflict between the pair, when Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka celebrated the last-gasp success by making an eagle gesture, pointing to their Albanian heritage. Serbians think about Kosovo, the place there’s an Albanian majority, as a Serbian province.

This tussle was at all times going to be spicy and it didn’t fail to ship in leisure worth too, with Switzerland reserving a knockout tie with Portugal, whereas a gifted Serbia head residence winless.

The Swiss virtually had the ball within the web in beneath a minute, however Xhaka’s shot was blocked, Breel Embolo was denied by a wise save by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, earlier than the Serbian stopper obtained as much as deny Xhaka once more. It was the primary time, since such information was made out there from 1966, {that a} workforce had three photographs inside the primary minute of a World Cup match.

It was no shock then when Shaqiri grew to become the third individual to attain at every of the final three World Cup tournaments as his deflected strike discovered the web after 20 minutes. The different two gamers to take action are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

There was no repeat of the eagle gesture, however the former Liverpool ahead did level to the identify of the again of his shirt in entrance of Serbian supporters within the stands, earlier than shushing of their course. He couldn’t simply let it cross, might he?

The first-half scoring was removed from completed there, as dynamic Serbian strike duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic each struck to show the match on its head, and not for the primary time.

Firstly, Fulham ahead Mitrovic glanced an ideal header into the nook, his fifth World Cup profession purpose, whereas Juventus’ Vlahovic opened his World Cup account with an outstanding end throughout the goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, standing in for the unwell No 1 stopper Yann Sommer.

The Swiss, who had made it out of the group phases in three of their final 4 appearances on the finals, wouldn’t go away, and a sweeping transfer, completed off by Embolo, levelled issues up earlier than the break.

It was the primary time since England towards Argentina at France 1998 that each groups had scored twice within the first half of a World Cup match, and three minutes after the break we had a fifth purpose, because the momentum once more swung in Switzerland’s favour, Nottingham Forest’s Remo Freuler discovering the web after one other tremendous transfer.

Shaqiri was subbed to maybe save him from boiling over, one thing that didn’t have a direct calming impact as he punched the plastic dugout wall, cracking it, when he went to take his seat on the bench.

It is unclear why, however a small group of supporters had been escorted out of the stadium late within the second half, whereas there was an announcement calling for supporters to cease making discriminatory chanting.

A late brawl, began by Xhaka, was how the match fittingly ended. This time, the flag Shaqiri was selling within the celebrations was a Swiss one because the knockout phases as soon as once more beckon.