Substitute Haris Seferovic ended 90 minutes of frustration for Switzerland by scoring a last-gasp goal to give them a 1-0 win over defiant Cyprus in their FIFA World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
The two sides looked set for their second goalless draw in the group until Xherdan Shaqiri slipped a pass through the Cyprus defense and Seferovic nipped in to lift the ball over goalkeeper Antonis Georgallides.
Switzerland, attempting to qualify for their third successive World Cup finals, went four points clear of Albania in Group E, regarded as the easiest of the nine European groups.
Photo: EPA
With coach Ottmar Hitzfeld serving the second game of a two-match touchline ban and the Stade de Geneve barely two-thirds full, Switzerland predictably dominated the game, but struggled to break down the massed Cyprus defense.
Josip Drmic had a shot cleared off the line by Angelis Charalampous and Mario Gavranovic headed against the post in the opening minutes in a promising start.
Valentin Stocker curled a long-range shot wide, Drmic fired into the side-netting after cleverly beating his man and Shaqiri twice had shots blocked in further attacks.
The pressure continued after the break when Georgallides made a one-handed save from Gavranovic’s shot on the turn, pushed over another raking drive from Stocker and tipped away a Seferovic header.
The goalkeeper made another save four minutes from time, blocking Shaqiri’s shot with his legs after a well-worked move, but he was powerless as Seferovic dinked the ball over him in the final minute.
Switzerland, unbeaten after six games, have 14 points, with Albania on 10 and Iceland on nine. Cyprus are bottom with four.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two