Sweden’s incredible run at the World Cup has extended to a quarter-final berth as they defeated Switzerland 1-0 in the round of 16.
Emil Forsberg scored the only goal of the game in the 66th minute at the Krestovsky Stadium when his shot from outside the box took a deflection off Manuel Akanji.
Here, we rate the performances of the Switzerland players.
SWITZERLAND
Yann Sommer – Made a great save down to his right to deny Marcus Berg and then at the death to stop Ola Toivonen’s free-kick. Not a thing he could’ve done about the goal though. 6
Michael Lang – Provided the width down the right as Shaqiri tucked in and combined well with the winger to work crosses in. A cynical push at the end earned him a sending off. 4
Johan Djourou – One of his better displays as he kept the errors to a minimum and made several clearances with his dominance in the air against two towering strikers. 6
Manuel Akanji – Unfortunate to get the deflection that led to the goal and was surprisingly overshadowed by his central defensive partner. 4
Ricardo Rodriguez – Played more like a winger and was a constant threat, creating a couple of good chances, with Steven Zuber drifting into central areas. Attempted a game-high 17 crosses though Sweden dealt with most as only five found a team-mate. 6
Valon Behrami – Made a couple of late challenges and picked up a booking. Was good in possession but couldn’t find the killer ball. 5
Granit Xhaka – Tried to dictate play in midfield and used the ball well while one rasping shot in the first half threatened but was always rising. 6
Xherdan Shaqiri – Was the go-to player for his side and while a couple of his deliveries had alarm bells ringing in the Sweden box, his overall play was rather predictable. 5
Blerim Dzemaili – Was a peripheral figure for the most part and blazed over in the first half from inside the area, wasting his side’s best chance. 4
Steven Zuber – Even more anonymous than Dzemaili as he only made 18 passes, although one of them was the cut-back for that chance his team-mate failed to convert. 5
Josip Drmic – An isolated figure up front, Switzerland seemed to play around him rather than with. Only had 22 touches over the 90 minutes. 3
SUBS
Breel Embolo – Added more of a threat than Zuber did on the left. Went close in the 80th minute with a header. 6
Haris Seferovic – Joined Drmic up front in the final 15 minutes and tested Robin Olsen with a header. 6
