Serbia 2-3 Switzerland LIVE! Swiss qualify – World Cup 2022 match stream, latest score and updates today

Serbia vs Switzerland LIVE!

What has been an incredibly dramatic World Cup 2022 group stage finished with a bang as Serbia and Switzerland played out a five goal thriller at Stadium 974 in Doha. And it was the Swiss who negotiated their way to the last 16, after goals from Xherdan Shaqiri, Breel Embolo and Remo Freuler sunk a spirited and often spiky Serbian side.

A meeting with Portugal will now greet the Swiss, who fell 2-1 behind after quick-fire goals from Serbia strikers Aleksander Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic, but showed great character and resilience to see out this victory and finish second – only behind Brazil on goal difference after the Seleacao’s 1-0 defeat to Cameroon. Brazil will play South Korea in the next round.

You can see how this game unfolded on Standard Sport’s live blog, with reporter Simon Collings providing expert analysis live from the stadium in Doha.

Serbia vs Switzerland highlights

• GOAL! Freuler puts Swiss in control

• GOAL! Embolo makes it 2-2

• GOAL! Vlahovic completes turnaround

• GOAL! Mitrovic header levels

• GOAL! Shaqiri smashes in opener

Serbia 2 - 3 Switzerland

Match report

21:43 , Dominic Booth

In case you missed it, here’s the match report from a thrilling game, courtesy of our reporter Simon Collings.

What a game

21:01 , Dominic Booth

Cameroon’s 1-0 win over Brazil is one of the shocks of the tournament, but it won’t help them reach the last 16.

Instead it’s Switzerland. They finish second on six points – behind Brazil only on goal difference. The end of a truly magnificent World Cup group stage.

FULL TIME

21:00 , Dominic Booth

It feels like this could kick off at full-time, let’s hope not though – as the final whistle does go.

It’s a deserved win for Switzerland and elimination for Serbia despite a very spirited and watchable performance from them across all their group stage games. The Swiss book a last 16 tie against Portugal.

20:54 , Dominic Booth

94 mins: This game couldn’t finish without some more pushing and shoving between the players.

Pavlovic is at the centre of this flashpoint. And Xhaka is involved, of course. Completely no need for that... handbags at dawn. From what I’ve spotted there’s a yellow for Xhaka, yellow for Milenkovic and a yellow for Mitrovic.

20:53 , Dominic Booth

92 mins: Can Serbia create one more moment of mayhem, one more chance to give the Swiss a scare?

The answer is now. Switzerland are smartly managing this game. Elsewhere, there’s a goal for Cameroon against Brazil, would you believe it. Follow that game here.

Added time

20:51 , Dominic Booth

Into seven added minutes. It won’t be enough time for Serbia. They’re virtually gone.

20:49 , Dominic Booth

89 mins: Akanji hacks it clear, Serbia come back, but the Swiss continue to throw bodies in the way of the ball. Embolo has been a constant menace on the break, too, and is holding it up nicely now.

20:46 , Dominic Booth

86 mins: The phrase ‘fizzled out’ springs to mind when describing this second half performance from Serbia.

Credit to Switzerland for taking control defensively, as Rodriguez marshals the ball out of play.

20:45 , Dominic Booth

84 mins: There have been way too many empty seats in the ground for this classic, which is a shame.

We’re reaching desperation stations for Serbia, now.

20:43 , Dominic Booth

82 mins: Gudelj is the latest to be booked for Serbia, as he bundled Embolo over.

The resulting free-kick is right on the edge of the box – a chance for Switzerland to kill the game off – and it’s whipped just wide by Akanji.

20:41 , Dominic Booth

80 mins: Pavlovic is walking a disciplinary tightrope right now. A couple of times he’s sailed close to the wind, in terms of getting a second yellow.

You can understand the desperation from Serbia, given their position.

20:39 , Dominic Booth

78 mins: A message goes out over the tannoy asking all fans to stop any political gestures or chanting, and to show unity. Met with applause by fans.

Tadic and Zivkovic are both removed by Serbia – that’s a surprise. Radonjic and Djuricic are on.

20:36 , Dominic Booth

75 mins: The clock is against Serbia here. They appear to have lost focus and direction a touch. A grandstand finish needed.

20:35 , Dominic Booth

74 mins: There’s some quite interesting footage of Granit Xhaka that’s emerged following that melee on the touchline a few minutes ago. We won’t post it here, but Twitter search his name and you might see it. Wind-up merchant.

20:32 , Dominic Booth

71 mins: Don’t write off Serbia here. They’re throwing everything at this, including the kitchen sink.

Tadic is the architect of some lovely moves. They can’t take him off.

Subs for both sides

20:30 , Dominic Booth

69 mins: Maksimovic has replaced Milinkovic-Savic for Serbia, while Fernandes comes on for Sow in the Swiss midfield. Shaqiri is also beoing replaced, with Denis Zakaria on for him.

20:28 , Dominic Booth

67 mins: We knew there was no love lost between these two teams, and there’s a proper flare-up on the sideline, with several Serbian subs coming onto the pitch to express their displeasure.

Rajkovic appears to have been booked for saying something. The ref is trying to calm things down.

20:26 , Dominic Booth

65 mins: Half-hearted appeals for a Serbia penalty, with Mitrovic throwing himself to the ground in theatrical fashion. Very little contact and the referee isn’t buying it.

20:25 , Dominic Booth

64 mins: Cameroon continue to keep Brazil at bay, but nothing more as it stands.

A draw here and a Cameroon win would bring goal difference into play.

20:22 , Dominic Booth

62 mins: If Serbia are to be eliminated, they’d be unlucky by my money. They ought to have beaten Cameroon in their previous match – they gave up their 3-1 lead too easily, having been the better side.

They’re not short of quality and attacking end product. Their defence has let them down, though.

20:20 , Dominic Booth

60 mins: If you play in defence for Switzerland, you better prepare for an almighty aerial bombardment in this final half an hour of football.

Serbia are going to send in a whole load of crosses.

20:18 , Dominic Booth

58 mins: What a miss from Embolo. He somehow steered it over the bar from about three yards out.

The flag does go up for offside, so maybe his blushes are spared. Still, it was a glaring miss.

20:17 , Dominic Booth

57 mins: Pavlovic gets booked, quite harshly. He’ll be suspended for the last 16 game if Serbia get there.

The team in red have also taken off one of their centre-backs, in Veljkovic, by the way.

20:16 , Dominic Booth

55 mins: Serbia make a change up front, in fact, with Jovic replacing Vlahovic. Still two strikers playing together, then.

20:15 , Dominic Booth

54 mins: Is this going to settle down at any point? Switzerland would love it to, but Serbia are still looking to get it long into the feet of Mitrovic and Vlahovic.

Here’s the latest goal, by the way:

20:13 , Dominic Booth

52 mins: If you’re struggling to keep up with the pace of this game, trying doing a live blog of it, while tweeting. Someone get me a drink.

20:11 , Dominic Booth

51 mins: A few minutes before half time Serbia had the lead and one foot in the knockout rounds.

Now, they’re two goals from qualification. But with the nature of this game, you wouldn’t bet on that happening. Anything could happen.

20:10 , Dominic Booth

49 mins: The mad pace of this game shows no signs of showing down. Expected one of the coaches to say at half-time: ‘Keep it tight first 15 minutes’. Clearly not.

GOAL! Serbia 2-3 Switzerland | Freuler ‘48

20:08 , Dominic Booth

It’s 3-2 to Switzerland, would you believe?

Freuler has scored after a fantastic team move and the Swiss are back in firm control!

20:06 , Dominic Booth

46 mins: Neither team have made a half time change, and why would you?

Both were extremely threatening in front of goal in that first 45 minutes.

SECOND HALF

20:05 , Dominic Booth

Let’s go. More goals, anyone?

Apparently France versus Paraguay in 1958 was the last time a group stage match was 2-2 at half time. It ended 703

19:59 , Dominic Booth

If you’ve been following Brazil and Cameroon, we implore you to switch your attention to this game instead.

The entertainment levels are off the scale and there could be more to come in the second half.

The resumption isn’t far away.

19:53 , Dominic Booth

Here’s all the goals, because you simply need to watch them:

HALF TIME

19:50 , Dominic Booth

Three minutes of added time at the end of the first half pass by without much action (would you believe it?)

Apart from that it’s been an incredible 45 minutes. Both sides going hammer and tongs. The result is 2-2 at the break, but the second half holds infinite possibilities, you feel.

19:46 , Dominic Booth

45 mins: What an utterly bonkers half of football. Not sure either coach will be happy with the defending - (Widmer had so long to pick out a cross there) - but it makes for great entertainment.

GOAL! Serbia 2-2 Switzerland | Embolo ‘44

19:45 , Dominic Booth

It’s 2-2! Embolo! He could hardly miss after the cross from the right, but a cool finish nontheless. What a game.

19:44 , Dominic Booth

43 mins: That’s two games I’ve live blogged today where a side needing to win has fallen behind, I’ve typed the words ‘improbable task’ and they’ve scored twice to lead 2-1.

Maybe it’s not so improbable. Or maybe this World Cup is just nuts.

19:42 , Dominic Booth

41 mins: Serbia are begging for corners when the opportunities present themselves. They know they’ve got the aerial prowess.

The Swiss are just trying to get their feet on the ball for a spell. They need to weather the storm and respond.

19:40 , Dominic Booth

38 mins: Switzerland are knocking on the door trying to get straight back in it. You cannot take your eyes off this one!

19:39 , Dominic Booth

37 mins: Serbia fans have been calling for Mitrovic and Vlahovic to play together, and you can see why. They are an utter handful and have turned this game on its head.

GOAL! Serbia 2-1 Switzerland | Vlahovic ‘35

19:36 , Dominic Booth

Vlahovic scores! Goodness me, it’s 2-1 to Serbia, they’ve turned this around in no time.

A brilliant left-footed finish.

19:35 , Dominic Booth

33 mins: It remains goalless in the Cameroon versus Brazil match, which you can follow with Standard Sport here.

As things stand, Switzerland will finish second behind the Selecao.

19:33 , Dominic Booth

31 mins: A huge chance for Shaqiri, as he opts for the outside of his left foot after being played clean through. But that allows the defenders to get back and put pressure on the ex Stoke winger. He puts it wide.

19:32 , Dominic Booth

30 mins: This is an incredible battle now. Both teams going all-out for the victory, it’s a knockout tie in everything but name.

19:29 , Dominic Booth

27 mins: Switzerland are not happy about that goal. The players surrounded the referee and the coaching staff lobbied the fourth official too.

No VAR check, though. It stands.

GOAL! Serbia 1-1 Switzerland | Mitrovic ‘26

19:27 , Dominic Booth

They’re level already! It’s that man Mitrovic who finds the equaliser.

Serbia win it on the halfway line and the Fulham striker guides home a superb header.

19:26 , Dominic Booth

24 mins: It’s the Swiss who seem more likely to add to their lead now. They look buoyed by the goal.

Serbia have played well but they need two or more goals to have a chance of the last 16.

19:23 , Dominic Booth

21 mins: Safe to say that goal has not gone down well with the Serbia fans, who were fuming as Shaqiri shushed them. Think a few bottles may have been lobbed his way.

GOAL! Serbia 0-1 Switzerland | Shaqiri ‘20

19:21 , Dominic Booth

Shaqiri scores! It’s 1-0 Switzerland and it’s a fine left-footed strike from the right side of the box, after Serbia fail to properly clear.

Against the run of play, but the Swiss fans won’t care. Rodriguez’s run down the left created that, and Shaqiri pounced with the ball pinballing around.

19:20 , Dominic Booth

18 mins: The door just about gets shut on Tadic after some nice feet allows the former Southampton man to wriggle into the box.

Embolo then leads a lone counter-attack but he’s soon robbed of possession. Milinkovic-Savic with the tackle.

19:18 , Dominic Booth

16 mins: The importance of Tadic’s delivery from set pieces cannot be understated. Serbia are a team of giants, basically, so plenty to aim for when he takes corners and free-kicks.

19:17 , Dominic Booth

15 mins: Widmer goes in the referee’s book for a poorly-timed challenge.

Lots of encouragement for Serbia in the past five minutes or so.

19:14 , Dominic Booth

13 mins: There’s little to no respite for the Swiss centre-back duo, Akanji and Schar, up against Vlahovic and Mitrovic.

An old-fashioned double-pronged strike attack from Serbia tonight, which is causing problems.

19:13 , Dominic Booth

11 mins: Not perturbed by that, Switzerland come back with an attack of their own.

Switzerland realistically only need a point to progress tonight, but they are playing like that. Plenty of impetus from them early on. They clearly aren’t content to sit deep.

Off the post!

19:12 , Dominic Booth

10 mins: The woodwork is still shaking! What an effort from Zivkovic, as Serbia go long again and the wing-back gets it back from Tadic and arrows one with his left-foot after cutting inside from the right.

19:10 , Dominic Booth

8 mins: Milinkovic-Savic with an assured take coming on his line to collect Vargas’ cross.

Serbia looking to go more direct with their approach play, Switzerland might be a tad more patient.

19:08 , Dominic Booth

6 mins: Milenkovic got on the end of that corner, a free header but he just didn’t get the purchase on it.

Early chances at both ends, which is encouraging to see for the neutral.

19:06 , Dominic Booth

5 mins: There’s plenty of quality on display from both sides. Tadic is pulling the strings for Serbia, connecting well with Milinkovic-Savic.

Already the crosses are coming in for the front duo of Mitrovic and Vlahovic. They’ve got a corner.

19:04 , Dominic Booth

3 mins: The Swiss are really trying to impose themselves on this game. They know a draw would probably be enough to qualify, but they’re taking it by the scruff of the neck. An early goal would make Serbia’s task very difficult.

19:02 , Dominic Booth

1 min: It’s a great chance for Switzerland from the off, that would have been one of the quickest World Cup goals of all time!

Xhaka’s shot rebounds into space and it bounces for Embolo whose effort is well saved by Milinkovic-Savic in the Serbia goal.

KICK OFF

19:01 , Dominic Booth

We’re under way.

18:53 , Dominic Booth

Pre-match light shows and songs are usually awful and too loud (yes I sound like an old man), but this one finally gets going as the Serbia fans sing along to ‘Mitro’s on fire’. And then the DJ changes song.

Swiss and Serbian rivalry

18:48 , Dominic Booth

Granit Xhaka’s name is roundly booed as the teams are read out here. The midfielder is not liked by Serbia after the 2018 World Cup and his celebration. One way or the other, it feels like the Arsenal man will be a talking point tonight.

Both Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri’s families were forced to flee Kosovo and Albania in 1998 as the former Yugoslavia republic invaded Kosovo. They made eagle gestures four years ago – the emblem on the Albania flag – which didn’t go down well.

Simon Collings in Doha

18:36 , Dominic Booth

Our reporter’s pre-match thoughts from Stadium 974:

18:33 , Dominic Booth

A reminder of the teamsheets – for both games tonight – as Group G comes to a head, the last action before the knockouts commence.

18:23 , Dominic Booth

The fans are already in the stadium and making themselves heard ahead of kick off.

18:11 , Dominic Booth

So, a thrilling World Cup group stage comes to a conclusion with tonight’s 7pm kick-offs (GMT).

Brazil take on Cameroon in the other game – which you can follow here – but the real action is the battle for second place in Group G between Serbia and Switzerland. Serbia need to win, the Swiss would take a draw unless Cameroon pull off something miraculous. Stadium 974 has all the action.

Team news reflections

17:52 , Dominic Booth

It’s interesting that Dusan Vlahovic is back in the Serbian side, as they go with two up front; he partners Aleksander Mitrovic.

Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer is absent tonight, understood to be struggling with illness, so Gregor Kobel steps in. Xherdan Shaqiri is also back in from the start, having been on the bench for the 1-0 defeat to Brazil.

17:48 , Dominic Booth

Switzerland XI: Kobel; Widmer, Akanji, Schar, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Shaqiri, Sow, Vargas; Embolo.

17:47 , Dominic Booth

Serbia XI: V. Milinkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Milinkovic-Savic, Lukic, Kostic; Tadic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic.

Team news out soon!

17:38 , Marc Mayo

We’re expecting the line-ups in just a moment or two...

Match odds

17:33 , Dominic Booth

This is what Betfair make of tonight’s game and who the favourites are:

Serbia: 8/5

Draw: 23/10

Switzerland: 9/5

Last time...

17:26 , Marc Mayo

Switzerland claimed a late 2-1 win over Serbia in their only previous meeting, which came in the 2018 World Cup group stage as the Swiss followed Brazil into the last-16.

Evening Standard score prediction

17:20 , Marc Mayo

The Swiss are masters of grinding out results at this stage but come up against a very strong attack.

Whether Serbia’s exuberance up front will make up for their defensive issues is a key factor.

A 1-0 win to Switzerland.

Group G permutations

17:17 , Marc Mayo

Let’s focus on our group, and here’s how it can all pan out...

Switzerland win: They qualify, finishing top if Brazil lose and a three-goal goal difference deficit is overturned. Serbia out.

Draw: Switzerland qualify if Cameroon fail to win. Serbia out.

Serbia win: The Swiss are out and Serbia will qualify only if Cameroon lose, draw or win by a fewer number of goals.

Full time in Group H!

17:09 , Marc Mayo

It will be Portugal for whoever finishes second in Switzerland and Serbia’s group.

Their 2-1 defeat to South Korea has secured the Asian nation’s shock spot in the last-16, who our group’s winners will face.

Uruguay and Ghana are out!

17:03 , Marc Mayo

Predicted Switzerland XI: Sommer; Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Xhaka, Freuler; Shaqiri, Sow, Vargas; Embolo

Early Switzerland team news

16:57 , Marc Mayo

Xherdan Shaqiri was not fit to play against Brazil for Switzerland, Fabian Rieder entered the line-up as a surprise inclusion.

16:52 , Marc Mayo

Predicted Serbia XI: Milinkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Maksimovic, Lukic, Kostic; Tadic, Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic

Early Serbia team news

16:47 , Marc Mayo

Filip Kostic returned to the Serbia XI that drew with Cameroon while Nemanja Gudelj was dropped.

They have no fresh injury concerns.

How to watch

16:41 , Marc Mayo

TV channel: In the UK, the match will be televised free-to-air and live on ITV4, with coverage beginning at 6.15pm.

Live stream: Fans can also catch the game live online via the ITVX and ITV website.

Hello and welcome!

16:31 , Marc Mayo

Serbia and Switzerland clash in a huge Group G meeting tonight as the group stage of the World Cup comes to a close.

Only one can pass through to the last-16 with kick-off at 7pm GMT from Stadium 974.

Join Standard Sport for all the build-up, match action and reaction!