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Like 4 years ago, Switzerland meets Brazil and Serbia at the World Cup. We look back at the duels in Russia 2018.
On December 1, 2017, the fans of the Swiss national team were overjoyed: Vladimir Petkovic’s team was given an extremely attractive opponent in the group draw for the 2018 World Cup in Brazil. The Swiss had only played one competitive game against the five-time world champion. At the 1950 World Cup there was a 2-2 draw in São Paulo.
Ideal World Cup start against Brazil
In 2018 in Russia, the duel with the “Seleção” marked the start of the tournament for the Nati. Against one of the big favorites, the Swiss fell behind after 20 minutes through a goal from Philippe Coutinho. Petkovic’s team hardly made any offensive appearances, but they were able to celebrate in the 50th minute: Steven Zuber equalized with a header after a corner kick.
The Brazilians pressed for the winning goal again in the closing stages. Thanks to a strong Yann Sommer in goal and a fighting performance, Switzerland managed to draw over time.
Behrami takes Neymar out of the game
Valon Behrami played a key role in the successful start of the World Cup for the national team. With his usual tough style of play, the Ticino almost completely eliminated the superstar Neymar. The Paris St-Germain player then expressed frustration and scolded the opponent. Behrami countered calmly: “Neymar is always on the ground.”
Victory against Serbia with background noise
After the draw, less than the joy about group opponents Brazil was the excitement that Serbia, an extremely unpleasant rival, was in the same pool. The landmark 2nd group game was to be a memorable one.
In a game marked by many emotions, Switzerland had to accept the 0:1 already in the 5th minute. After the break, the Nati managed to turn things around. Granit Xhaka (52nd) scored to equalize, shortly before the end Xherdan Shaqiri secured his team’s 2-1 victory, which ultimately paved the way to the round of 16.
After the game, however, it was not primarily the Swiss success that was the focus of attention, but the jubilant gestures after the two goals. Xhaka, Shaqiri and Stephan Lichtsteiner formed the double-headed eagle, a symbol of the Albanian flag. Disciplinary proceedings and fines followed.
I used too much energy against Serbia and then lost focus.
The Serbian match ultimately also played an important role in the bitter knockout round against Sweden. The Nati showed a bloodless performance against the Scandinavians. Looking back, Xhaka made it clear: “I needed too much energy against Serbia and then lost focus. I played one of my worst national games against Sweden.”
Switzerland meets Brazil and Serbia again in Qatar. Coach Murat Yakin’s team would certainly take the results of 2018 with a kiss. But there must be no more background noise like it was against the Serbs.