Doha: After defeating Serbia 3-2 on Friday, Switzerland moved to the round of 16 for the third time in a row.
Just after the break, Remo Freuler scored the game-winning goal to give the Swiss second place in Group G. At Lusail Stadium, they will play Portugal next on Tuesday.
Early in the first half, Xherdan Shaqiri gave Switzerland the lead before Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic closed the gap for Serbia. The score was evened soon before halftime by Breel Embolo.
After defeating Cameroon and falling to Brazil in their first two games, Switzerland needed to win to ensure their position in the knockout phase. Both the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2018 World Cup in Russia saw the team advance to the round of 16. Both games against Argentina and Sweden ended in 1-0 losses for them, Associated Press reported.
The Swiss will try to beat Portugal in order to go to the quarterfinals for the first time since hosting the competition in 1954.