Serbia v Switzerland: Live blog, text commentary, line-ups, stream & TV channel

Lewis Oldham

Serbia v Switzerland: Live blog, text commentary, line-ups, stream & TV channel image

Both sides can still get out of Group D with a game left to go, but the deck is stacked in favour of the Swiss now. Brazil and Switzerland sit in first and second with four points each, while Serbia are third with three - but they must face Neymar and company in Moscow next week while their opponents today tangle with already-eliminated Costa Rica. It's sure to be a brilliant finale before the knockout rounds kick-off; until then however, thank you for joining us - and have a good night!

Xherdan Shaqiri Serbia Switzerland World Cup 06/22/18

It's a phenomenal result for Switzerland as goals from Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri overturn their half-time deficit to hand their chances of progressing to the round of 16 a massive boost with a game to go against Serbia in an entertaining thriller at Kaliningrad Stadium. Serbia controlled the first half with flair but couldn't stop the Swiss revival after the break, sparked by Xhaka's superb strike from distance - and the late score from the Stoke City hero Shaqiri has thrown their chances of a first knockout game in their history up in the air. Full-time, it finishes Serbia 1-2 Switzerland.

FULL-TIME: SERBIA 1-2 SWITZERLAND


90+5 mins: A late free-kick for Switzerland, but Shaqiri intercepts it and puts another shot on goal from distance that skews wide. The seconds tick away...

90+4 mins: Josip Drmic replaces Zuber as Switzerland look to eat up the clock.

90+2 mins: Rain has started to fall over Kaliningrad, much like the tears of the silent Serbian fans in the crowd. It has all come crashing down in horrific fashion for them in this second half. Switzerland are in utter jubilation.

90+1 mins: Shaqiri is booked for his celebration too, after taking off his shirt.

90 mins: SHAQIRI FOR SWITZERLAND! THEY LEAD 2-1! Gavranovic plays a long through ball to the Stoke man, and with the Serbian defence bar Tosic all deep in the opposition half looking for their own late goal, he goes unmarked into the opposition box and slots calmly into the bottom-right corner under Stojkovic after coaxing the keeper off his line. Gavranovic spotted the huge gap at the back and played a perfect ball for his teammate who was onside by a good five yards too. What a disaster for Serbia; after dominating the first half, their dreams of reaching the round of 16 have perhaps been cruelly dashed. However, what a second-half turnaround for Switzerland! They lead with four minutes of injury time to go. 

88 mins: Ivanovic gives away a soft corner as he tries to head back to his own keeper under not much pressure and puts it out instead.

87 mins: Serbia are able to counter after a nervy few moments in their box and win a corner down the other end on the back of a swift counter. Tadic swings it in, but Mitrovic commits a foul in the six-yard area and is booked with Switzerland awarded a free-kick.

86 mins: Rodriguez takes and hits the wall; his effort sails out for a corner

84 mins: Shaqiri follows up the set-piece with an effort of his own, only to put it over the crossbar by some distance. A moment later, he wins a free-kick 25 yards out on the left. A great chance for Switzerland to snatch the lead here.

82 mins: Hearts-in-mouths for Serbia as Ivanovic's deflection of an Embolo shot veers closer to the left post than it needs to. Switzerland have a corner

81 mins: Nemanja Radonjic comes on to take the place of Milivojevic as Serbia make another change.

Branislav Ivanovic Serbia Ricardo Rodriguez Switzerland World Cup 201

79 mins: Mitrovic wins a free-kick off Rodriguez just over halfway and Serbia flood the Swiss box. The ball finds Tadic who can't steer his header anywhere other than skyward and Switzerland come away safely.

77 mins: Milivojevic has to double back at a blistering pace to cut off Shaqiri after the Swiss man creates a speedy counter down the left wing.

75 mins: Gavranovic hits the side netting! The substitute is flagged for offside belatedly but he was in a perfect position, one-on-one with the keeper, to give Switzerland the lead after picking up a Shaqiri through ball.

73 mins: Dzemaili is the latest Swiss man to be replaced as Breel-Donald Embolo comes on for him while Rodriguez gets attention from the medics.

72 mins: Rodriguez catches an elbow in the face while jostling for a ball and gets some treatment on the touchline for what looks like a bust lip.

70 mins: Both sides have registered 12 shots each in this game; but Serbia have only mustered one in the second half, compared to Switzerland's four.

68 mins: Mitrovic! The Serbian should have tapped in a slick ball delivered by Kolarov across the six-yard box at the right post, yet completely misses it instead under little pressure from Akanji. What a chance that was.

67 mins: Mitrovic is convinced he should have a penalty after going down in the Swiss box - and replays show him effectively rugby-tackled to the ground by two defenders off the ball. Referee Brych waves his complaints away and VAR fails to spot it; Switzerland have been handed a lucky break there.

65 mins: Serbia make their first change now, with Adem Ljajic coming on to replace Kostic.

63 mins: Xhaka is just the third Swiss player to score in more than one World Cup tournament, after Jacques Fatton and Andre Abegglen.

61 mins: A nervy moment from Sommer as his short tap goal-kick in his own box invites Mitrovic to chase him around it, with the keeper eventually managing to outwit the Serbian and spear the ball away from danger.

Granit Xhaka Switzerland Serbia World Cup 2018

60 mins: Milinkovic-Savic is penalised for back-to-back fouls deep in Swiss territory as he looks to encroach upon the opposition box, much to his disgust. He avoids any further action; already on a booking, he will do well to keep his temper.

58 mins: Shaqiri, my word! The Stoke man curls a ball from the right edge of the Serbia box towards the top left corner and hits the post with it, to an audible intake of breath around Kaliningrad. If that had gone it, that would have been something special.

56 mins: How Serbia react to that equaliser may very well define their World Cup. Matic wins a free-kick off Dzemaili and tips it towards goal from 40 yards out; Sommer has no problem dealing with it.

54 mins: Serbia look stunned by that goal, and Switzerland, now they are back on equal footing, look like a side reborn. From the restart, they force their opponents onto the back foot straight away, with Zuber and Shaqiri driving them back towards their own box with increased ferocity.

52 mins: OH MY WORD, WHAT A GOAL FOR GRANIT XHAKA! SWITZERLAND ARE LEVEL AT 1-1! The Arsenal man fires an absolute rocket of an effort in off the rebound of a Kolarov block on a Shaqiri strike on the right, catching it around 25 yards out on the left and blasting it in at the far post. Out of almost nothing, Switzerland are back on level terms.

51 mins: Some wonderful smart play from Tadic, Milinkovic-Savic and Mitrovic almost gifts the latter a plum chance, before Akanji steals in to halt it inside the six-yard box.

49 mins: Offside against Switzerland now after Zuber creates a half-chance into the box for Gavranovic, though it petered out regardless with a poor finish.

48 mins: ​Seferovic's replacement isn't perhaps too surprising when you look at the stats; in the first half, he managed just five touches, the fewest of any player to start this match.

46 mins: The second half is underway and Switzerland have made a change at the break as Seferovic, after a rather unassuming first half, is replaced by Mario Gavranovic.


Krstajic will want more of the same from his team in the second half after one of the most entertaining performances of the tournament so far - but with 11 shots on target already, they should have more room to breathe than a one-goal lead so far. As for Petkovic, he needs to work out how best to revitalise his side as he did against Brazil in their opening tie; perhaps with the introduction of an additional forward as they seek an all-important equaliser.

Serbia celebrating Serbia Switzerland Worl Cup Russia 2018 06222018

Aleksandar Mitrovic's 15th goal in 18 starts for his country has given Serbia a much-deserved 1-0 lead at the break against Switzerland in an entertaining clash at Kaliningrad Stadium. Mladen Krstajic's side have been a slick, impressive unit from the first whistle, cutting open their opposition with surgical ease and plenty of elan to keep them on the ropes - and despite a few half-chances here and there, Vladimir Petkovic don't look like a team likely to pull this one back without a big change in fortunes. At half-time, it's Serbia 1-0 Switzerland.

HALF-TIME: SERBIA 1-0 SWITZERLAND


45+2 mins: Matic gets a booking - Serbia's third of the game - as he brings down Swiss captain Lichtsteiner while trying to take control of the ball near the opposition box.

45+1 mins: Tadic goes close! His wonderful strike from the right edge of the box goes whipping past the top-right corner following a Milinkovic-Savic square ball that cuts straight through the Swiss defence. 

44 mins: What a chance for Tosic! Tadic delivers a fantastic corner and the unmarked defender stuffs up his header to put it well wide on the left. That should have been a second goal for Serbia.

43 mins: Now Serbia have a corner, after Tadic sees a cross forced out by Rodriguez.

42 mins: Matic! The Serbian looks to drill it across the six-yard box and Sommer is forced into evasive action to push the ball wide and away. A throw-in out wide on the right, deep in Swiss territory.

41 mins: Akanji spears a long ball crossfield looking for Shaqiri out on the right, only to have put too much weight behind his effort. It skips out for a goal-kick.

39 mins: Milivojevic becomes the second Serbian to get a booking in this game as he brings down Shaqiri just inside his own half with a bullish challenge. Free-kick to Switzerland.

37 mins: Tadic! On the back of a free-kick 30 yards out on the left, Mitrovic sees his initial effort blocked but the follow-up by the Southampton man is a beauty that Sommer has to jump to keep in his grasp.

Xherdan Shaqiri Switzerland Serbia World Cup

35 mins: Kolarov and Kostic combine down the left but neither of their final passes inspire a second wind to seek out Mitrovic in the box and Sommer gets the goal-kick after the latter puts it out cheaply.

33 mins: Milinkovic-Savic gets the first booking of the game after catching Schar with a flailing leg in mid-air.

32 mins: Switzerland create another lovely flowing move that breaks down of its own accord after Shaqiri picks the wrong pass in the Serbian box, squaring it wide to Schar instead of going for it himself, with Stojkovic scrambling to collect the weak end result.

30 mins: Stojkovic with the save! He denies Dzemaili directly on his goal-line after the Swiss striker was released into the box with a burst of speed on the back of a Zuber through ball. Serbia's defence just switched off there for a moment.

28 mins: Shaqiri clips a ball down the right for Zuber, yet Tosic reads it well and cuts in to clear before any real danger can present itself. Switzerland aren't looking gifted with ideas in front of goal so far.

26 mins: Switzerland win themselves a corner after Tadic heads out a long ball from Rodriguez. Shaqiri steers it in for Akanji who heads off-target and Matic then wins a free-kick after Akanji brings him down tussling for the ball.

24 mins: Assisted by Dzemaili, Shaqiri turns a left-footed effort towards goal from just outside the box, only finding the legs of Tosic who puts it away to safety for Serbia.

22 mins: Zuber and Dzemaili create some space for Switzerland heading towards the Serbian box as they look to haul themselves back into this game, but Tadic intercepts a loose pass between them and hares off down the wing, only stopped in his tracks by a Behrami slide tackle.

20 mins: Mitrovic has now scored 15 goals in his last 18 starts for his country, having failed to find the mark against Costa Rica despite four shots. Serbia have already registered six shots in the opening 20 minutes in Kaliningrad.

19 mins: Tadic probes the Swiss back-line again and tips a cross in for Mitrovic who goes for the overhead kick, just pushing his effort over the crossbar. Serbia are sweeping into their opposition's final third with a wonderful - or worrying, depending on perspective - sense of freedom and adventure.

Stephan Lichtsteiner Switzerland Filip Kostic Serbia World Cup

16 mins: Milinkovic-Savic! The Serbian midfielder goes for goal from 18 yards out on the right, pulling a shot back across himself after cutting out from centre-field, and he shakes his head as it sails wide of the left post.

15 mins: Great skill from Kostic opens up the Swiss defence at the back once more, but with the ball speared into the box from the left, no-one can get a clear touch to shoot and Serbia's chance slips away for the moment through Xhaka.

14 mins: Mitrovic meets a cross at the edge of the Swiss box and tries an ambitious header from distance. It sails too high however, tumbling over the crossbar, and Sommer has a goal-kick for Switzerland.

12 mins: Switzerland's response to going a goal down has been strong so far; Seferovic drives them deep into Serbian territory once again, only foiled by a brilliant slide tackle from Milenkovic on the edge of the box with his fellow teammates flagging in support

10 mins: Dzemaili! The Swiss forward delivers a poor finish for Rodriguez's cross in off the left flank, skewing it well wide of the right post as he attempts to drive it towards goal with Stojkovic caught off his line.

8 mins: Switzerland win themselves a corner as Kolarov deflects an attempted cross in from Shaqiri; it will be the Stoke City man who turns in the set-piece...

6 mins: Lichtsteiner looks to give his side an immediate response as, from the restart, he drives a long throughball down the ground looking for Seferovic, only for the latter to be caught in the offside trap and flagged by the linesman.

5 mins: GOAL FOR SERBIA! 1-0! Aleksandar Mitrovic fires a powerful header in at the left post as he runs onto a Tadic cross tipped in off the right flank, burying it past Sommer in goal with perfect timing. Switzerland are one down inside the first five minutes. Tadic's cross came on the back of a lovely piece of individual play to fool Rodriguez out near the right corner post, sending the Swiss defender the wrong way before curling it in towards the far post. Serbia will be delighted with that start.

4 mins: Xhaka, from distance, sets himself up for a shot from distance for Switzerland; he drifts a left-footed effort from 30 yards out over the top-left corner.

2 mins: Serbia think they have a shout for a penalty after Mitrovic and Behrami tumble down together on the edge of the Swiss six-yard box following a free-kick tipped in by Shaqiri; referee Brych waves them away and a moment later, Switzerland win their own free-kick for a foul by Kolarov.

1 min: We're underway!


5 MINS TILL KO: The teams are out at the Kaliningrad Stadium, the anthems are underway and kick-off is almost upon us! Stay tuned for all of the match action.

The two sides meet for the first time in their history in Kaliningrad today, albeit with Serbia as an independent nation. As part of Yugoslavia, they previously faced Switzerland on 13 occasions, with six wins and five draws to their name.

10 mins till KO: Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic meanwhile makes his World Cup bow, having succeeded Ottmar Hitzfeld after Brazil 2014, and is looking to guide them to back-to-back group stage progressions in consecutive tournaments for the first time. Steven Zuber's equaliser against Brazil has remained a controversial talking point in the intervening days - but with the five-time world champions securing a win against Costa Rica earlier today, Switzerland know that a win will be key to keeping them in the hunt for the round of 16.

15 mins till KO: Krstajic is taking charge of his first major tournament appearance with the national side, having ascended to the position in October in place of Slavoljub Muslin - but three points against Costa Rica has already put him on the cusp of a lasting legacy. It's been twenty years since - as part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - they last got out of the group stages; an injury time winner from Edgar Davids felled them in the round of 16 in a 2-1 defeat to Netherlands.

20 mins till KO: A reminder of how the two sides will line-up this evening.

SERBIA (4-5-1): Vladimir Stojkovic; Branislav Ivanovic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Dusko Tosic, Nikola Milenkovic; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Filip Kostic, Luka Milivojevic, Dusan Tadic, Nemanja Matic; Aleksandar Mitrovic

Subs: Marko Dmitrovic, Marko Grujic, Antonio Rukavina, Nemanja Radonjic, Aleksandar Prijovic, Milos Veljkovic, Luka Jovic, Uros Spajic, Adem Ljajic, Predrag Rajkovic, Milan Rodic, Andrija Zivkovic

SWITZERLAND (4-5-1): Yann Sommer; Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodríguez, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fabian Schar; Granit Xhaka, Steven Zuber, Xherdan Shaqiri, Valon Behrami, Blerim Dzemaili; Haris Seferovic

Subs: Yvon Mvogo, Gelson Fernandes, Breel Embolo, Francois Moubandje, Remo Freuler, Michael Lang, Josip Drmic, Johan Djourou, Nico Elvedi, Roman Burki, Denis Zakaria, Mario Gavranovic

25 mins till KO: As for Switzerland, captain Stephan Lichtsteiner becomes their most-capped player in World Cup history as he makes his ninth appearance at the tournament in Kaliningrad, overtaking Charles Antenen outright. He lines up in the back four as part of an unchanged starting XI.

30 mins till KO: Team news now as we await kick-off and Serbia have made just the one switch from their first match in Russia; Hamburger SV's Filip Kostic comes in as an attacking midfielder in place of Torino's Adem Ljajic, with Serbian manager Mladen Krstajic mostly keeping faith with the same XI as previous.

35 mins till KO: Serbia look to secure a place in the knockout stages against Switzerland in a Group E clash at Kaliningrad Stadium. The White Eagles could qualify for the round of 16 for the first time in their history with a win today, after defeating Costa Rica in their opening game of the tournament - but will they be able to overcome an equally motivated Swiss side looking to keep their progression ambitions alive on the back of an opening draw with Brazil?

45 mins till KO: Hello and welcome to Goal's live blog of the Group E clash between Serbia and Swtizerland at the 2018 Russia World Cup.


Squads & Team News


Serbia XI: Stojkovic; Ivanovic, Milenkovic, Tosic, Kolarov; Matic, Milivojevic; Tadic, Milinkovic-Savic, Kostic; Mitrovic

Serbia subs: Dmitrovic, Grujic, Rukavina, Radonjic, Prijovic, Veljkovic, Jovic, Spajic, Ljajic, Rajkovic, Rodic, Zivkovic

Switzerland XI: Sommer; Lichtsteiner, Schar, Akanji, Rodríguez; Behrami, Xhaka; Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Zuber; Seferovic

Switzerland subs: Mvogo, Fernandes, Embolo, Moubandje, Freuler, Lang, Drmic, Djourou, Elvedi, Burki, Zakaria, Gavranovic


TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch


In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

US TV channel Online stream
FOX / Telemundo fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on BBC One or streamed live online using the BBC iPlayer.

UK TV channel Online stream
BBC One BBC iPlayer

Lewis Oldham