Switzerland bid to summon spirit of 1954 World Cup
SAINT PETERSBURG: Switzerland have made headlines in Russia for their players’ controversial goal celebrations but the team stands on the verge of matching their best-ever run at a World Cup.
If Vladimir Petkovic’s side beat Sweden in Saint Petersburg today, they will become the first Swiss team in 64 years to qualify for the quarter-finals of football’s biggest tournament.
Although they have largely gone under the radar in Russia — double-eagle scoring celebrations against Serbia aside against — the unheralded team are enjoying an impressive tournament.
They are unbeaten in Russia, have scored in every game and a defeat against Portugal last October is the only blemish in an impressive run of results over the past two years.
“We want more and more,” Petkovic said after his team made the last 16. “We are used to making history, we have big ambitions and the next big ambition is to beat Sweden.”
The last time Switzerland reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, in 1954, they were hosts and the 16-team tournament was a very different beast — they lost their last-eight clash to Austria 7-5 after being three up early on.
Switzerland and Sweden have not met since 2002 so there are recent no indications of who could have the edge.
Although the last-16 match is one of the least glamorous of the first knockout phase, it provides a good opportunity to qualify for the last eight in the “weaker side” of the draw, and for Switzerland to re-write their World Cup history.