Sweden vs Switzerland: Sweden beat Switzerland 1-0 to reach World Cup quarter-finals

World Cup – Round of 16 – Sweden vs Switzerland – Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia – July 3, 2018 Sweden’s Marcus Berg in action with Switzerland’s Ricardo Rodriguez REUTERS/Henry Romero

• A deflected shot from Emil Forsberg gave Sweden a 1-0 victory over Switzerland

• Switzerland had the lion’s share of possession but were toothless in attack

• Sweden will face England in the quarter-finals

ST PETERSBURG: A deflected shot from Emil Forsberg gave Sweden a 1-0 victory over Switzerland in a dull World Cup round of 16 match in St Petersburg on Tuesday, sending the Swedes through to a quarter-final against England.

Switzerland had the lion’s share of possession but were toothless in attack, and bowed out in dispiriting fashion after registering four shots on target over 90 minutes, none of which unduly tested Robin Olsen in the Swedish goal.

Round of 16
Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Second Group D	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Winner Group C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

France	4	-	3	Argentina
Kazan – 30th June 2018 5:00 pm
Winner Group C		-		Second Group D
Kazan – 30th June 2018 5:00 pm
Uruguay	2	-	1	Portugal
Sochi – 30th June 2018 9:00 pm
Spain	1	-	1	Russia
Moscow – 1st July 2018 5:00 pm
Croatia	1	-	1	Denmark
Nizhny Novgorod – 1st July 2018 9:00 pm
Brazil	2	-	0	Mexico
Samara – 2nd July 2018 6:00 pm
Belgium	3	-	2	Japan
Rostov-On-Don – 2nd July 2018 9:00 pm
Sweden	1	-	0	Switzerland
Saint Petersburg – 3rd July 2018 5:00 pm
Colombia	1	-	1	England
Moscow – 3rd July 2018 9:00 pm

Boos and whistles rang around the St Petersburg stadium as early as the 25th minute, with both Swedish and Swiss fans alike left irate by the lack of quality and attacking verve on display.

The teams went into the interval locked in a goalless stalemate, with Sweden just about shading their opponents in terms of the quality of the few clear chances created.

Marcus Berg forced a fine save from Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer in the 27th minute, and Albin Ekdal squandered an excellent chance when he volleyed over the bar from 12 metres out after getting on the end of a cross from Mikael Lustig.

At the other end, Blerim Dzemaili wasted Switzerland’s best chance when he fired over from 12 metres, while Xherdan Shaqiri had a terrible day at the office, sending several diagonal balls from the wing sailing over the heads of his team mates.

The second half started in a similarly stultifying manner, with play bogged down in midfield and both sides looking to be inching inevitably towards extra time and a penalty shootout until Forsberg struck in the 66th minute to inject a flicker of life into the contest.

Picking up a pass on the edge of the penalty area, the RB Leipzig midfielder shifted the ball to his right foot and struck a low shot that deflected off Swiss defender Manuel Akanji’s foot and past the wrong-footed keeper.

Switzerland came to life after the goal but Sweden defended stoutly and looked threatening on the counter-attack.

They broke through the Swiss cordon in extra time when the substitute Martin Olsson was released into space and brought down just outside the box.

The referee first awarded a penalty but then changed his mind after consulting the video assistant referee (VAR) to award a free kick, but Sommer saved Ola Toivonen’s effort.

credit: The Times Of India

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