By Samuel Opio
A last-minute Xherdan Shaqiri breakaway goal handed Switzerland victory on Friday (Jun 22) as they came from behind to defeat Serbia 2-1 in Kaliningrad.
The win puts Switzerland in pole position to make it out of a tough Group E that contains five-times winners Brazil but they were pushed all the way by the Serbs.
It was a sweet victory for Shaqiri and fellow Swiss goalscorer Granit Xhaka, who along with team-mate Valon Belrami were booed relentlessly by Serbia’s fans throughout
Shaqiri ripped off his shirt in celebration and flexed those muscles that make his physique so stocky. He believes he deserves a Premier League platform and this brave performance will encourage those clubs interested in triggering his release clause at Stoke.
This was a crucial comeback victory for Switzerland and leaves Serbia needing to get something from their final match against Brazil to progress.
Serbia played well, but were undone by Switzerland’s efficiency. Aleksandar Mitrovic was man of the match before Shaqiri’s intervention and he now knows how it feels to be Harry Kane, and not just because he can finally call himself a World Cup scorer.
