Sweden are through to the World Cup 2018 quarter-finals after defeating Switzerland in St Petersburg.
Emil Forsberg's second-half strike - the only goal of the game - set up a last-eight clash with either Colombia or England, who play each other tonight.
Forsberg's 66th-minute deflected shot, which came off Manuel Akanji and flew past Yann Sommer, was his first at this summer's tournament after 14 attempts.
Persistence paid off for the Swedes had the best opportunities in the first-half with Albin Ekdal firing over after a poor clearance from Sommer, who later made a good save to deny Marcus Berg.
Switzerland's best opening led to Blerim Dzemaili shooting over, but it was Forsberg who sealed the tie with his fortuitous goal.
Their quarter-final takes place on Saturday at 3pm at the Samara Arena.
“We didn’t give Switzerland many chances at all,” Forsberg said. “To see what we’re achieving together, it just brings tears to my eyes and makes me so proud.”
Sweden’s run to the quarterfinals has come without its totemic player of the last 10 years, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has retired from the national team. But while it may lack Ibrahimovic’s nose for goal and outsized personality, the team has used good organization and just enough scoring punch for a run of good results at the Cup.
Next up for Sweden is the winner of the Colombia-England match, on Saturday in Samara.
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Here’s how Sweden beat Switzerland:
FULL TIME: Sweden Advances!
Emil Forsberg’s second-half goal was enough for Sweden to beat Switzerland and advance to the quarterfinals.
90’ + 7: Free Kick Blocked
Toivonen takes the free kick and forces a save. Game over!
Andrew Das: Sweden in the quarterfinals. Well then. I wonder if the Germans were watching back home.
90’ + 6: No Penalty for Switzerland
After a review, it’s deemed only a free kick, but a red card for Lang of Switzerland.
94: PENALTY!?
With every Swiss player forward, Sweden gets a break and Olsson is through on goal. He’s pushed from behind by Lang and it’s a late, late penalty. But was it barely outside the area? Video is called in ...
90’ + 2: Switzerland ... Almost!
Rodriguez hooks in a cross, and Seferovic has a chance! But his header is saved by a perfectly positioned Olsen. Was that Switzerland’s last hope?
90’: Time Running out for Switzerland
A time-wasting sub for Sweden: Thelin for Berg. We have only three minutes of added time.
89’: Killing Time
Olsson adjusts his socks before taking a throw in, then he and Toivonen kill some time by the corner flag. Sweden is using up every second they can.
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86’: Switzerland Denied
Another Shaqiri corner is punched away. Rodriguiez creates some space but his shot is blocked. Sweden holding on under plenty of Swiss pressure. For every Swiss shot, there are about two Swedish defenders jumping in the way.
85’: A Tale of Two Fans
The Sweden fans sing with gusto. Swiss fans captured on camera look bleak.
83’: Forsberg Limps Off
Emil Forsberg, the goal-scorer, is coming out for Sweden. He is limping a little, perhaps that explains it. Martin Olsson, a defender, checks in. Should the Swiss tie this, Sweden will miss Forsberg for sure.
80’: Switzerland Almost Equalizes!
Close for Switzerland. Breel Embolo rises off a corner and gets a good header on it, but his shot is stopped just short of the line.
77’: Sweden Works the Clock
Sweden hangs onto the ball for a while, getting a few balls into the box, but more important, taking some time off he clock.
73’: Switzerland Bring On Fresh Legs
After a stalled attack, we have the first sub of the game. Switzerland sends in Embolo for Zuber and Seferovic for Dzemali.
72’: Shaqiri Threatens Equalizer
A Shaqiri shot caroms crazily off a defender, but luckily for Sweden it goes wide. Corner for Switzerland.
70’: Sweden Keeps Pushing
Sweden is suddenly full of pep, and Ekdal belts a shot over the bar.
66’: GOAL! Sweden Leads 1-0
After some passes around the outskirts of the box, Emil Forsberg cranks a shot from the half moon. It takes a little deflection off defender Manuel Akanji, and goes in! For now FIFA has it scored as a Forsberg goal, but it could be an own goal depending on your interpretation.
Andrew Das: There it is, the goal Sweden should have had and the goal this game (and everyone watching) needed. Forsberg got himself free, but the real sweet finish was Akanji turning it past Yann Sommer by accident.
64’: Forsberg Wastes Chance
There’s only a two-man wall, but Emil Forsberg manages to slam the ball into it. Sweden gets the rebound, but the Swiss quickly knock it away. A wasted chance for Sweden.
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63’: Free Kick for Sweden
Sweden counterattacks and Forsberg is knocked down. This free kick is just barely outside the area. Great opportunity.
62’: Yellow for Behrami
Sweden was looking dangerous for a second and Behrami steps in a little too forcefully. That’s a yellow card. He’ll miss the next match if Switzerland has one.
59’: Lob to Nowhere
There’s not a lot of incisive attacking going on right now. Sweden forces a turnover and gets a decent break going, but ends up lobbing a ball to nowhere.
53’: Three Corners for Switzerland
Ricardo Rodriguez grabs a rebound and shoots immediately, but right into a defender. Nothing comes of the corner. Switzerland gets two more corners in a row and manages to force one routine punch save.
50’: Switzerland Comes Up Empty
Switzerland comes right back. Josip Drmic sends what could’ve been a dangerous ball into the box but nobody takes advantage.
49’: Sweden Threatens
After Marcus Berg creates a chance, Ola Toivonen gets the first shot for Sweden, but sends it well over.
47’ Early Whistle
Referee Damir Skomina blows the whistle on Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka, who tripped up a Swedish player.
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46’: Who Will Score?
Time for the second half. Who will break the deadlock (if anyone)?
The Numbers
Seven shots for each team, but Switzerland dominated possession, 66-34 percent and made 312 passes to the Swedes’ 156. Switzerland has completed 270 of those passes, Sweden 111.
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You would still make Switzerland the favorite, but any result is possible at this point. Well, probably not a 5-4 thriller.
Chances, but No Finishing
Andrew Das: You can’t say there weren’t chances in that half. You CAN say there was some abominable finishing. Not sure that’s solvable in a halftime talk, but if Japan and Belgium can thrill us in a second half, there’s always hope that Sweden and Switzerland can, too. I mean, we’ve seen them score. We know it’s possible.
Halftime: Sweden 0, Switzerland 0
Switzerland had the better offense, but Sweden’s smothering defense was up to the challenge. The result: A 0-0 game.
45’: Shaqiri Creates a Chance, but Nobody’s There
Xherden Shaqiri continues to be the main man for Switzerland, sending a ball across goal that three Swiss can’t seem to get to.
41’: Ekdal Misfires
Mikael Lustig sends a great cross into the box. Ekdal of Sweden races in, but he’s off balance and the ball is bouncing high, so he can’t direct it. He probably should’ve used his head there.
Andrew Das: Woof. What a miss that was. The finishing in this game is so bad you kind of wish the Germans had made it. Which is saying something, because theirs wasn’t much better when they were here.
40’: Forsberg Hits the Wall
Sweden earns a promising free kick, but Forsberg hoofs it into the wall and it skitters off, wide of the post
39’: Good Chance for Switzerland
Blerim Dzemaili sends one over the bar and holds his head in frustration. But in truth, had it been hit lower it likely would have been blocked by one of the four Swedes between him and goal.
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37’: Corner for Switzerland
For Switzerland, Rodriguez takes a corner, and Shaqiri tries some fancy stepovers. But nothing is working as Sweden have all 10 men in the box.
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34’: Xhaka Shoots From Long Distance
Granit Xhaka of Switzerland tries a shot from 30-plus yards. It seems ambitious, but actually only barely whistles over the net.
31’: Yellow Card for Lustig
First yellow card, to Mikael Lustig of Sweden for holding. It’s his second yellow and he would miss the quarterfinal.
Ricardo Rodriguez gets the free kick around the wall, but it’s an easy save.
30’: Sweden Focusing on Defense
World Cup teams usually have one or two players who are mostly excused from defensive duties: a striker, a playmaker. Not Sweden, which is harrying Switzerland everywhere.
28’: Beautiful Save for Swiss Keeper
Marcus Berg has plenty of time after getting a pass in the box and his hard shot draws a one-handed diving save from Swiss keeper Sommer. That was close!
27’: Lustig Strong for Sweden in the Back
More good Sweden defense: Mikael Lustig heads a chance away.
24’: Switzerland Wastes Chance
Switzerland finds Steven Zuber in the box, but he doesn’t get a good head on it and floats one over the bar.
23’: Sweden Pressing
After a series of passes, Switzerland winds up 50 yards back of where it started. Sweden is pressing on the ball all over the pitch.
19’: Sweden Defense Holds
Switzerland manages to get the ball in the box again, but Sweden’s defense has been very well organized and is foiling the best Swiss efforts.
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Andrew Das: It’s not too early to say this game could use a goal to open it up. These teams will be cautious by nature, knowing a rare trip to the quarterfinals is there for the taking as long as they don’t do something dumb and throw it away. But the longer this stays scoreless, the more cagey it might become. One goal blows it up thought. Then everybody on the losing team has to press.
15’: Back and Forth
A good passing sequence for Sweden ends with Lustig shanking a ball sideways straight to Switzerland. On the other end, Shaqiri’s cross is too high for Josip Drmic. Both sides have had chances early, but Sweden’s have been more threatening.
13’: Switzerland Attack Collected
Xherden Shaqiri with a nice through ball to Dzemaili, who can’t quite reach it. Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen collects.
10’: Sweden Getting Chances
Another blast over the bar for Sweden. It’s Berg again, but his shot is blocked. Ekdal rushes in to get the rebound but sends one into the stands. Switzerland has left itself a little open at the back in the last couple of minutes.
9’: Misfire for Sweden
Sweden break for goal and Marcus Berg is behind the defense! But his shot is atrocious.
8’: Another Shot for Switzerland Handled
Zuber of Switzerland with a nice dribble and a curling shot, but the keeper is right there.
7’: Forsberg Probing
Emil Forsberg sends a ball through the Switzerland defense but there’s nobody on the other end of that one. Goal kick.
5’: Switzerland the Better Side Early
Switzerland has had the better of the early touches, but both sides are far from stamping any authority on the match yet.
4’: Free Kick for Sweden
Switzerland’s Blerim Dzemaili draws an early whistle from referee Damir Skomina. Free kick for Sweden.
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1’: Shaqiri Fires First
Sweden starts by passing it back and Lindelof simply falls over, losing the ball! A quick chance for Switzerland results in a long-range Xherdan Shaqiri shot that goes well wide.
Andrew Das: Nothing says scary moment in a knockout game than a Sweden defender slipping, falling, and turning the ball over in the first minute. Nothing says ‘scoreless tie coming’ than Switzerland wasting the chance with a 25-yard shot 10 yards wide.
Kickoff!
Classic colors today: Sweden in yellow, Switzerland in red.
Sweden beat Switzerland 1-0 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, with a deflected Emil Forsberg effort proving the difference between the two sides. The match in Saint Petersburg was a tight encounter of few chances but Forsberg's shot in the 66th minute took a deflection off Manuel Akanji, leaving goalkeeper Yann Sommer stranded. Sweden will meet either England or Colombia in the last eight. The World Cup last-16 match between Sweden and Switzerland was goalless at half-time in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday, after a low-key opening 45 minutes. The Scandinavians had the better of the first-half chances, but striker Marcus Berg blazed off target when well-placed before seeing Swiss keeper Yann Sommer turn his low shot around the post. (HIGHLIGHTS: Sweden vs Switzerland)
Highlights Between Sweden vs Switzerland, 2018 FIFA World Cup, Straight From Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg
21:24 IST: FT Sweden 1-0 Switzerland. The Swiss who dominated a staggering 64 per cent of the possession, go out of the World Cup as Sweden seal a quarters berth in which they will either see Colombia or England. That's all we have for the day, until next time, it's goodbye!
21:19 IST: No penalty for Sweden confirms VAR, RED CARD FOR MICHAEL LANG though! Sweden will take a free-kick from the edge of the box, Ola Toivonen hits it straight as the goalkeeper Yann Sommer keeps the ball out. The referee then blows for the final whistle.
21:17 IST: 3 minutes added, Switzerland containing the ball, attacking through the left flank Rodriguez bends one inside the box to his target man Drmic who head it but Olsen dives to keep the ball away from crossing the line.
21:15 IST: Desperate moments for Switzerland, combing well to snick one before it's too late but nothing going in favour of them at the moment.
21:12 IST: Flurry of attack from Switzerland, Rodriguez followed by Drmic take a shot each before Shaqiri delivers a ball which goes away for a Sweden goal kick.
21:05 IST: Corner for Switzerland, Shaqiri takes it, Embolo's header was well directed but Forsberg does well to clear it away. 80 minutes on the clock.
21:02 IST: Corner for Sweden, Forsberg delivers not a good hit but the ball falls back for the Swede which is miscued for a Swiss free-kick. 77 minutes played.
20:57 IST: Free-kick for Switzerland, Rodriguez delivers, not cleared well by the Swede as the deflected shot off Shaqiri goes away from corner -- opportunity wasted but the Swiss retain possession. 72 minutes played.
20:55 IST: Ekdal now takes a shot outside the box, but the ball goes high over the crossbar, Sweden look to be in the mood here though Switzerland have dominated most of the possession.
20:52 IST: GOAL! Sweden scores through Forsberg, after he makes a brilliant run from left to right ans shoots from outside the box as the ball takes a bit of deflection to end at the back of the net. Sweden 1-0 Switzerland after 66 minutes.
20:50 IST: Free-kick for Sweden on the edge of the box, Forsberg delivers from the right flank but the ball comes off from the wall.
20:47 IST: Xhaka plays a miscued shot from the edge of the box, as Sweden retain possession but fail to contain it.
20:44 IST: Sweden now trying to keep possession, but their sloppy play makes them lose hold of it. 57 minutes played, still goalless.
20:38 IST: Corner for Switzerland, Shaqiri delivers a curling ball inside the box on the second away but it gets tucked away by Olsen. 52 minutes played so far.
20:37 IST: Switzerland on the ball, setting the tempo back in the second-half. The VAR has not been used in the match so far.
20:36 IST: Ola Toivonen misses it for Sweden, after a cross finds him in space but he skies the volley over the crossbar.
20:34 IST: Free-kick for Sweden, Augustinsson bends the ball in as it gets cleared away from the Swiss defence inside the box.
20:32 IST: Switzerland gets the second half underway.
20:17 IST: HT: Sweden 0-0 Switzerland at St.Petersburg.
20:15 IST: One minute added for half-time. Xhaka finds Rodriguez who crosses the ball but Olsen punches it away and referee blows the whistle.
20:13 IST: 43 minutes played, goalless so far. Shaqiri gets a good looking cross but no one inside the box to tuck the ball inside the net. Sweden retain possession.
20:09 IST: Free-kick for Sweden from a promising position, Forseberg takes it deflects off the wall for a corner. Forsberg takes it, Lustig delivers a brilliant cross from the right wing finds Ekdal in space but he skies the ball over the crossbar.
20:08 IST: Zuber plays a brilliant one-two finds Dzemaili in space, but he skies the ball over the crossbar. A well-made chance, missed!
20:06 IST: Corner for Switzerland, Rodriguez take it, Shaqiri gets a shot. Sweden looks to break on the counter but fail to get going. The Swiss retain and dominate possession.
20:03 IST: Granit Xhaka takes a shot from long range, the ball was dipping at the end but fails to find the net. 33 minutes on the clock, still goalless.
20:00 IST: Free-kick for Switzerland, Ricardo Rodriguez takes it away from the wall. Olsen collects it with ease.
19:57 IST: SAVED! Marcus attempts to put the ball past Olsen in the far corner, but the Swiss goalkeeper does well to keep it out. 30 minutes played.
19:53 IST: Shaqiri delivers a brilliant ball inside the box to find Zuber -- the target-man inside the box, who heads it just over the crossbar.
19:52 IST: Shaqiri over-ran with the ball, to see it lose to Forsberg in the right flank.
19:47 IST: Switzerland playing inside their own half, trying to get on attack. Rodriguez delivers a ball from left flank inside the box only to see it cleared off the Swede defence. Both Switzerland and Sweden have score 5 goals in the tournament so far.
19:41 IST: Shaqiri plays a delicious chip for Dzemaili who gets two touches inside the box before Olsen charges to grab the ball safely.
19:39 IST: Sloppy play from Switzerland as Ekdal skies a volley high over the crossbar, 10 minutes played so far.
19:37 IST: Steven Zuber from the left flank, finds space but his shot is straight into the glove of the Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen.
19:33 IST: Switzerland keeping the ball better, well organised, Sweden pushed back, five minutes played so far as Switzerland look to attack from left flank but lose the ball as Sweden's Forsberg plays a heavy ball ahead to see it go for a goalkick.
19:31 IST: Free-kick for Sweden, the ball is delivered inside the box. But cleared away from a header by the Swiss defence.
19:30 IST: And Shaqiri straight on gets involved, goes for a long-range effort wide off the target.
19:30 IST: Kick-off! Sweden gets the match underway.
19:28 IST: Team sheets exchanged, coin toss done. We are couple of minutes away from the kick-off.
19:25 IST: Swedish national anthem buzzes at the centre-stage, Switzerland follows. We are five minutes away from the kick-off.
18:30 IST: The complete line-up between Sweden and Switzerland for the Round of 16 clash has been announced.
18:15 IST: Swiss national star Xherdan Shaqiri looks ready for the crucial clash, a lot of onus on him to get his national side into the quarters.
18:15 IST: Former Swede star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has 'got his back' against the national side, which looks in readiness to take on the Swiss.
18:08 IST: The two sides in this match come into the game with differing fortunes in their preceding matches: Sweden thumped high-flying Mexico 3-0, while Switzerland were pegged back twice in a 2-2 draw with already-eliminated Costa Rica.
18:05 IST: Two crucial spots at stake for the quarter-final. Who are you betting on?
Two spots in the quarter-finals remain... who is going to get them? #SWESUI // #COLENG pic.twitter.com/OJ8hfimsmj — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 3, 2018
18:02 IST: Just over an hour to go for the crucial contest between Sweden and Switzerland in the double-header Tuesday, we have Colombia playing England later in the day.
18:00 IST: Hello and welcome to the live commentary from the Round of 16 clash between Sweden and Switzerland.
Sweden have now gone as far as they ever did with Ibrahimovic at a World Cup and could go much further in a wide open half of the draw.
Beat Switzerland and they will face England or Colombia, with Croatia or Russia waiting as potential semi-final opponents.
Switzerland have made headlines in Russia for their players' controversial goal celebrations but the team stands on the verge of matching their best-ever run at a World Cup.
If Vladimir Petkovic's side beat Sweden in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday, they will become the first Swiss team in 64 years to qualify for the quarter-finals of football's biggest tournament.
Although they have largely gone under the radar in Russia -- double-eagle scoring celebrations against Serbia aside against -- the unheralded team are enjoying an impressive tournament.
Emil Forsberg's deflected strike has sent Sweden through to the quarter-finals of a World Cup for the first time since 1994.
The last-16 tie had been locked at 0-0 for 66 minutes of the game before Forsberg's shot trickled past Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
The match ended in chaos when Switzerland's Michael Lang was sent off for a push on Martin Olsson late in the game.
Sweden will play either England or Colombia in the last eight of the World Cup in Samara on Saturday afternoon.
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