SHAQ ATTACK STUNS SERBS
Last-minute winner puts the Swiss on a roll
Supporters of stoke may sometimes wonder whether Xherdan shaqiri’s selfregard outweighs his talent but there can be no doubting his sustained influence on switzerland.
He walked the walk when the pressure mounted, scoring a lastgasp goal to seal a comeback win over serbia and place his country in prime position for progression to the knockout phase.
Four years ago shaqiri got a hat-trick in Brazil. At the last euros he scored a ridiculous volley. In Kaliningrad last night he kept his cool at the vital moment. sent clear by steven Zuber’s through-ball, shaqiri took advantage of Dusko tosic’s idiotic attempt to play offside to race into the boxox and slide home a finish. h.
shaqiri ripped off his shirt and flexed ed his muscles, the e epitome of a celebration that screams for the spotlight. But he had every right having delivered once again on the biggest stage.
His display will ill inevitably encourage age those premier League eague sides thinking off triggerinterval triggering his release clause at stoke, worth a rumoured £13.5million.
there was added spice in serbia being the vanquished opponents. shaqiri shares his Kosovan heritage on his boots and placed his hands in an ‘Albanian eagle’ movement after scoring. Granit Xhaka, whose father was imprisoned by the serbian government for protesting in the eighties, did the same after his thunderbolt equaliser.
‘He played an excellent second half,’ said his boss Vladimir petkovic. ‘He has an eagerness to play, he wants to put in the heavy lifting, and that points towards the next match too. He finished the match with a flourish.’
A point against Costa rica in the final game will send shaqiri and switzerland through to the last 16, and beating Brazil to first place is very possible. they rode their luck to victory, it must be said, with Aleksandar Mitrovic hauled to the floor by two defenders in the box at 1-1. referee Felix Brych was unmoved and the video assistant referee declined to get involved. It had begun so perfectly for serbia, who gained the lead inside five minutes. Nemanja Matic won possession high up, Dusan tadic delivered an excellent cross, and Mitrovic bullied Fabian schar to head the ball into the corner. Arsenal fans know Granit Xhaka is capable of such maddening episodes but seven minutes after theinterval he drewd switzerland level. AleAleksandar Kolarov blockblocked shaqiri’s shot but the ball spun kinkindly for Xhaka anand his wicked sstrike from 25 yardsy curled dramatically past VladimirV stojkovic. shaqiri was nextn to summon someso magic, thumpingthu a sitting ball from an impossible sibleimpossible angle so that it swung and clipped the post. He was at it again at the death, this time showing his sprinting skill, and this time finding the net. SERBIA (4-2-3-1): Stojkovic 6; Ivanovic 7, Milenkovic 7, Tosic 5, Kolarov 7; Matic 7, Milivojevic 7 (Radonjic 81min); Tadic 7.5, Milinkovic-Savic 6.5, Kostic 6 (Ljajic 65, 5); Mitrovic 7.5. Scorer: Mitrovic 5. Booked: MilinkovicSavic, Milojevic, Matic, Mitrovic. Manager: Mladen Krstajic 7. SWITZERLAND (4-2-3-1): Sommer 7; Lichsteiner 6, Schar 5, Akanji 6.5, Rodriguez 6; Behrami 7, Xhaka 7.5; SHAQIRI 8, Dzemaili 6 (Embolo 73, 6), Zuber 6.5 (Drmic 90); Seferovic 4 (Gavranovic 46, 6). Scorers: Xhaka 52, Shaqiri 90. Booked: Shaqiri. Manager: Vladimir Petkovic 7. Referee: Felix Brych (Germany) 5. Attendance: 33,167.