Switzerland win feisty battle with Serbia to reach World Cup last 16
Murat Yakin’s side came out the traps in blistering fashion after Vanja Milinković-Savić was forced into a double save to deny Breel Embolo and Granit Xhaka inside the opening minute.
It was an electric start, as Nikola Milenković rose highest in the box and headed Dušan Tadić's corner narrowly wide. Tadić then teed up Andrija Živković, whose long-range strike cannoned off the post.
Despite plenty of promise from Dragan Stojković’s team, it was Xherdan Shaqiri that netted a 20th-minute opener.
Ricardo Rodriguez made a surging run down the left flank and his cross was cleared into the path of Djibril Sow, who in turn teed up the former Liverpool man to fire a deflected strike past Milinković-Savić.
He became only the third man to score in each of the last three WCs, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Their lead was short-lived though, as Aleksandar Mitrović powered home a brilliant header from a beautiful Tadić cross only six minutes later, in what was the eighth goal in his last seven appearances for Serbia across all competitions.
Dušan Vlahović then turned the game on its end with a clinical left-footed strike for his first WC goal.
It was a first half that kept on giving, and Sow put Switzerland back into second spot after slotting home Silvan Widmer's cross at the end of a breathless first half.
Plenty of statistics had seemingly gone out of the window at this WC, with this the first time both sides had scored twice before HT in a group stage match since France beat Paraguay 7-3 in 1958.
It boded well for the second half, as Yakin’s men struck again three minutes after the restart through Remo Freuler.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder re-established their lead following some sumptuous link-up play involving Shaqiri and Ruben Vargas - the latter providing an audacious back-heeled assist.
The goal ultimately proved to be decisive with Serbia still waiting to reach the knockout stages of a WC for the first time, and were left bemoaning a horrible case of déjà vu, as a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in 2018 cost them a place in the last 16.
Meanwhile, the Rossocrociati can now look forward to a tussle with Portugal next Tuesday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland)
