Full Time: Switzerland 2-1 Ecuador
92 mins: Goal: Switzerland 2 Ecuador 1 Bahrami then distributes the ball out of defence. The Swiss break like an express train coming out of Geneva, the ball is crossed and Severovic sweeps it in. Bomber Haris! Forget that the Real Sociedad striker has only managed four goals in 39 games for Real Sociedad. How priceless is that?? And Bahrami will be a national hero tonight for that tackle and subsequent distribution. The cheese fondues will be tasting good tonight.
92 mins: Great tackle from Bahrami! Antonio Valencia creates a chance for Arroyo, wbut Bahrami gets down low, pokes his leg and scoops the ball cleanly.
Three minutes added time - Switzerland have pressed hard this second half but Ecuador have defenbded effectively.
85 mins: A dangerous free-kick for Ecuador. Ayovi hits an awkward one through a gap in the wall and Benaglio goes low to make an ugly but extremely effective stop. Fortunately for him no Ecuador attacker is following up as the balls spills back to danger.
80 mins: The Swiss have a free-kick but Shaqiri shovels it straight into the wall. Bit of a waste. Johan Djourou is booked for tripping Enner Valencia.
76 mins: Swiss substutution: Drmic off, Haris Seferovic comes on. Four goals in 39 games last season for Real Sociedad - that's Iain Dowie-esque. Montero off, Joao Rojas on foir Ecuador.
74 mins: Diego Benaglio tries to sweep up, over-commits, misses the ball and it nearly falls to Enner Valencia (him again) but the Swiss scramble it clear. Through Djourou. He's had a mixed game bu has certainly enjoyed some good moments.
72 mins: Shaqiri hits a sizzling shot which smacks the side-netting. Close! And the best thing thge Swiss winger has done all game.
69 mins: Offside! Drmic has the ball in the net for the Swiss but it's disallowed.
Caicedo off, Arrajo - who scored a screamer against England comes on. Definitely onside when Rodríguez makes his pass, the ball comes off Frickson Erazo and so it should have been onside...
65 mins: West Ham target Jefferson Montero looks dangerous. Lichtsteiner fails to stop him firing off a shot which Diego Benaglio blocks. Ecuador still threatening.
59 mins: Enner Valencia goes close again. He pushes the ball wide, and wider, tormenting Djourou and then he lets rip, and it nearly roars into the top right-hand corner. He impressed against England and is doing well again tonight.
56 mins: So how will this go? It's like a boxing contest now, both teams have landed a big blow each, and know a draw wouldn't be such a bad result. The Swiss are lacking width and quality wing play - though arguably the Swiss should win it if they want to justify their eye-catching world ranking.
51 mins: And that is why Ottmar Hitzfeld has coached teams to seven domestic titles and two Champions Leagues. An inspired substitution.
47 mins: Goal: Admir Mehmedi! Switzerland 1 Ecuador 1Ricardo Rodríguez takes over the corner duties and delivers a jaffa, in a very similar zone to the one that saw Ecuador take the lead. Admir Mehmedi the super sub takes one minute to make an impressiomn, his fine bullet header putting the world's sixth-ranked team back on level terms. Stephan Lichtsteiner had a quiet first half but it was his shot that won the corner.
46 mins: Jay is right - Ayovi did not put the ball in the 'spray zone'. Oh well. Valentin Stocker is off for the Swiss, and Admir Mehmedi - good call Paul Knott.
Paul Knott again: The Swiss have at least kept their heads since that setback. I think there is more to come from them yet. Djourou was a late choice to replace the expected first starter, Fabian Schar of Basel. Coach Hitzfeld will get a lot of grief too if that error proves costly. Not surprisingly, it is a bit subdued at half-time here in the biergarten in sunny Switzerland. Lots of talk about replacing Xhaka with Freiburg's Admir Mehmedi, who is a more creative, attacking threat. We might see that if the Swiss don't level it fairly soon.
Half-time: This is meant to be a soft group. France are runaway favourites and these sides are expected to be slugging it out for second place. The Swiss really think they have a chance of serious progress under their grandmaster coach. But Ecuador started well, and scored. Ex-Arsenal defender Johan Djourou was one of the Swiss defenders who failed to stop Enner Valencia leaping and nodding in from a free-kick. The Swiss then went for it, but had only seven corners to really show for it. And Liverpool's possible target Xherdan Shaqiri has wasted most of them. Towards the end Ecuador then reminded us that they will pose an increasing threat after the break as the Swiss become more desperate. It's quite an intriguing contest - and if stays this way I guess it will be seen as a minor upset: Switzerland 0 Ecuador 1
43 mins: Montero looks lively as he finds space and shoots. So that's why he's on Big Sam's wishlist. But Djourou blocks superbly. Ecuador show they are going to be dangerous on the counter as the Swiss commit resources further forward in search of an equaliser.
34 mins: Drmic wins a corner this time with Stocker waiting. It's deep and Behrami tracks back to head, but he's off balance and Dominguez smothers it. set-pieces looking Switzerland's best bet to get back into this...
32 mins: Valentin Stocker wins a corner for the Swiss - but it's a miss. Djourou throws his head at it but fails to make contact... or amends for his earlier errors.
28 mins: Disappointment for Johan Djourou, the ex-Gunner. He was not expected to start. Now questions will be asked of him about how Enner Valencia had so much space. Another mistake soon after from Djourou. He was never really fancied by Arsene Wenger, was he? Though clearly the Frenchman liked having him in the squad.
25 mins: The Swiss will be devastated if they lose this. They strolled through qualifying. Maybe they needed more of a test? But they had high hopes of really progressing in this tournament, even as far perhaps as the quarter-finals they made in 1934, ’38 and ’54. It's Ecaudor's game to lose now, though.
22 mins: Goal: Enner Valencia! Switzerland 0 Ecuador 1Marvellous free-kick from Ayovi - we warned you about his sizzling set-pieces - right in the danger area... a goalkeeper's corridor of unvertainty. Enner Valencia climbs, unmarked, to bead in, with keeper Diego Benaglio helpless.
Keep an eye on young Drmic. Not sure if that first glimpse he had in the box counts as a half- chance but he has an uncanny knack whenever he misses of always burying the next one.
20 mins: Powerful strike from Ricardo Rodríguez from the left, quite a way out. Was it going wide? Alexander Dominguez cannot hold it on and the ball goes out for a corner.
18 mins: Enner Valencia shoots but defenders are on to him quickly; the ball balloons into the air, and Diego Benaglio punches needlessly. The queue for Ecuador to try him out with some more crosses, perhaps.
16 mins: Ayovi had so far smothered Shaqiri out of the game, but finally he has the ball in the box, pushes it to his left and swings his left boot at it. But Alexander Dominguez saves comfortably. A warning sign for Ecuador, though.
12 mins: Josip Drmic sniffs out a half-chance; the ball is slipped through to him, but several Ecuador defenfers engulf him like guard dogs apprehending an intruder. Granit Xhaka then tries his luck with a dipping shot but it's not very close.
7 mins: The Swiss have settled. They have a miserly defence, conceding only one goal in their last seven qualifiers. It's mainly long-ball stuff from both sides at the moment, though.
4 mins: Ecuador pressing, however. Walter Ayoví wastes a free-kick, loops it straight into Diego Benaglio's hands. Enner Valencia then shows his pace down the left flank.
2 mins: Scruffy start. A few players kicking out. Chucking the ball away. An ankle chop or two. Fair few empty seats too.
posted from Bloggeroid
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