Serbia – Switzerland 2:3, SISTŘI: The Swiss made a comeback and will play in the round of 16 of the World Cup

The selection of the Helvetic Cross country repeated the victory from the second round of the group stage at the 2018 championship in Russia, beating the same opponent 2-1. The Swiss advanced to the World Cup play-offs for the third time in a row, while the Serbians, on the other hand, did not reach the first-ever participation in the round of 16.

In the Swiss nomination, the sick stopper Elvedi and the No. 1 goalkeeper Sommer, who have not missed a single minute of the championship so far, did not appear. Dortmund goalkeeper Kobel stood between the three posts. At least key midfielder Shaqiri returned to the starting eleven after a minor injury. Serbian coach Dragan Stojkovic started both attacking stars Aleksandar Mitrovic and Vlahovic for the first time.

After only 20 seconds, the Serbian goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovič-Savič had to make two excellent saves, as he caught both Embolo and Xhak’s shot in the face. Shortly afterwards, Živkovič’s shot from behind the box ended up on the right post of Kobel’s goal.

The two-sided offensive progress continued throughout the first half. In the 20th minute, Sow prepared the ball for Shaqiri’s left foot in the penalty area, and the latter scored at the third World Cup in a row with the help of a run. In total, he has already scored five goals at the top event.

The Serbians, who needed to win to maintain their chances of advancement, just as they did against Cameroon (3:3), quickly responded to the opponent’s leading goal. Captain Tadič sent a cross in front of the goal from the left side, and Mitrovič directed his header towards the far post in a full run. The best representative scorer of the Balkan country scored the 52nd goal for the national team, he scored for the second time at the tournament in Qatar. In the 35th minute, Tadič pushed the ball between the defenders to Vlahovič and he turned the score around with a cross shot.

Still, it was a tie in the cabins. In the 44th minute, Widmer found Embola with a precise pass in front of an empty goal, who had no problem scoring for the second time in the championship. The Serbians conceded at least two goals even in the third duel of the group stage.

The completion of another turnaround was seen by the 974 stadium crowd shortly after the change of sides. Shaqiri’s “dunk” into the box was sunk by Vargas with his heel to Freuler, who fired through Milinković-Savič from close range. Another hit could have been added by Embolo, who found his way around the jam in front of the goal, but shot over from close range.

The Serbians did not maintain the pace from the first half and did not have the strength for another turn. Tadič had the last serious opportunity after an hour of the game, but he did not add to the three assists the premier hit in Qatar. The Swiss didn’t make the cut either, although a two-goal win would have moved them into first place ahead of Brazil, who surprisingly lost 0-1 to Cameroon.