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Final

Germany 1-0 (ET) Argentina (Gotze 113')

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Game 43 Recap: Honduras 0-3 Switzerland

HONDURAS 0-3 SWITZERLAND

Switzerland put any lingering questions about their form following a 5-2 loss to France to bed as they thrashed Honduras in this contest and advanced to the Round of 16 as a result.

It was a huge day for the young Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri, who notched a hat trick and led the Swiss in a romp over the overmatched Hondurans.

It didn't take long for Shaqiri to make an impact on the game. In the 6th minute he picked up the ball in the Honduras corner and patiently drew the Honduran defence across the top of the penalty area before unleashing a wicked curling shot that went in off the underside of the crossbar. This was minutes following a Swiss chance in front of goal that both Shaqiri and Admir Mehmedi had blocked by a scrambling defence.

Needing goals in case a tiebreaker was necessary, Switzerland continued to pour on the pressure and doubled their lead in the 31st minute off a Honduran mistake. Victor Bernardez misplayed the ball in midfield leading to a Swiss 2 on 1. Josip Drmic wisely played Shaqiri in on a breakaway who made no mistake on the finish to give Switzerland a 2-0 lead.

Things went from bad to worse for Honduras just before half as Carlo Costly, Honduras' only goalscorer in Brazil went down with an injury and had to be substituted off.

Desperate to try and salvage anything from the game, Honduras began pushing further up the field and had a pair of chances foiled by clearances off the goal line from Swiss defenders.

Honduras could not keep up the pressure without adequate defensive cover and Switzerland capitalized on that in the 71st minute. Another long ball to Drmic stretched the Honduran defence back to their own end. Drmic went around Bernardez again and left the ball neatly for Shaqiri to bundle home for the hat trick and the 3-0 Swiss lead. A great day for Drmic and Shaqiri and one to forget for Victor Bernardez.

Honduras fired a few shots from distance in the closing minutes but nothing to give serious worry to Benaglio in goal and Switzerland advances to face Argentina in the Round of 16.

Goals

Honduras: N/A
Switzerland: Xherdan Shaqiri (6', 31', 71')

Discipline

Honduras: Jerry Palacios (Yellow 66')
Switzerland: N/A

Man of the Match

Do I even need to say? Xherdan Shaqiri turned in the second hat trick for a player in this tournament (Muller, GER) as Switzerland cruised to a victory over a Honduras. Has to give a big assist to Josip Drmic for setting his second and third on a platter but his first goal was one of the goals of the tournament. Dragged the Honduran defence across the area before a great curling strike off the crossbar.

Key Moment

A win alone was only good if the Ecuador result went the way of the Swiss. Held the advantage for most of the second half but any Ecuador goal would be disaster for Switzerland who would lose a potential tiebreaker. Then in the 71st minute, Josip Drmic was played long and went right around Victor Bernardez. He laid the ball off to Shaqiri who notched a hat trick but more importantly for the Swiss, ensured that a last-second Ecuador goal would not be a nail in the coffin for the Swiss and sent them through to the Round of 16.

What we learned from Honduras

Thus ends one of the worst performances of any team at the World Cup. Were more aggressive in the attack but lack the quality finishing other teams possess, and despite 6 shots on goal never truly threatened Diego Benaglio's goal. Could not handle the piercing runs of Drmic and Shaqiri for Switzerland got absolutely shredded defensively when Switzerland got forward

What we learned from Switzerland

Clearly they didn't dwell too long on the 5-2 loss to France. Defence held strong under Honduran pressure and got a breakout performance from Xherdan Shaqiri to vault in to the knockout round. Still not sure this defensive line is completely in sync which may cause them problems against Argentina but this was a definite step in the right direction for them.

Going Forward

Honduras head home pointless and with just one goal to their credit. Can't yet call them the worst team in the tournament because Group H isn't done yet but it was not impressive.

Switzerland draw Argentina in the Round of 16 which will test all of their skills. I believe Shaqiri and Xhaka will have chances against the Argentine central defence but not convinced the Swiss can handle the Argentina attackers either.

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