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Swiss stun Euro winners Portugal in WC qualifier
PARIS: With Cristiano Ronaldo still missing due to injury, European champions Portugal began their bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a disappointing
PARIS: With Cristiano Ronaldo still missing due to injury, European champions Portugal began their bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a disappointing 2-0 defeat in Switzerland on Tuesday.
Goals seven minutes apart in the first half from teenage sensation Breel Embolo and Admir Mehmedi gave the Swiss the points in Basel.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Euro 2016 runners-up France also showed signs of a hangover from their summer exertions as they were held to a 0-0 draw in Belarus in Group A, while the Netherlands came from behind to draw 1-1 in Sweden.
In Nicosia, former Everton boss Roberto Martinez’s first competitive match as coach of Belgium ended in a 3-0 win against Cyprus.
Ronaldo, who was one of three Portuguese players to have started the 1-0 extra-time triumph against France on July 10, was absent from the away starting line-up in Basel, with Renato Sanches also sidelined and Joao Mario only on the bench.
Joao Moutinho and Bernardo Silva came in along with Lille striker Eder, the man who came off the bench to score the winning goal at the Stade de France.
But Fernando Santos’ side were undone as Switzerland went in front midway through the first half, Schalke striker Embolo heading home the loose ball after Rui Patricio had only managed to parry a Ricardo Rodriguez free-kick.
The Swiss doubled their lead on the half-hour mark when Haris Seferovic cut the ball back for Mehmedi, who took a touch and finished high into the net.
France have had problems against Belarus in the recent past. Paul Pogba started for the visitors in Borisov, but coach Didier Deschamps made six changes compared to the side that lost the Euro final, leaving Dimitri Payet on the bench.
With Les Bleus lacking attacking inspiration, though, Payet came on just before the hour mark and moments later his corner was headed against the bar by Olivier Giroud. Soon after, Antoine Griezmann effort was thwarted by Andrei Gorbunov.
The Belarus keeper came up with another intervention in the 73rd minute, saving a Layvin Kurzawa header from a Payet free-kick, with Pogba just unable to get to the follow-up.
