The Switzerland of the Kosovar Albanians Shaqiri and Xhaka eliminate Serbia in a night on fire

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• Group G Classification

Switzerland won much more than a football match.

and

, both of Kosovar Albanian origin, faced as many Serbs as they could on the most tense night of this World Cup.

Between provocations, reproaches and shoving, the Helvetians went ahead and the Balkans said goodbye to the World Cup.

Even the referee had not even signaled the break.

The result was insufficient for a Serbia that was only worth beating Switzerland to go to the round of 16.

There was a world ahead.

But

, the Serbian coach, collapsed on his bench.

He leaned back against the seatback, and with his shirt open, drenched in sweat, he huffed.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He was consumed.

Because of the tension, because of the psychic effort, or even because of the fear of the void.

Switzerland reached the next round because, despite the nerves of a

who ended the night in flames, he managed his emotions better.

In the Qatari stadium with 974 containers, the political charge and the tension of the match was such that any action was fought by the footballers as if their lives depended on them.

The match was highly anticipated since the Helvetian-Serb clash in Kaliningrad four years ago.

Because the Swiss footballers Xhaka and Shaqiri are sons of exile and

Xhaka's father was jailed for three and a half years.

Also from that emotional hornet's nest in the Balkans, where provocation feeds the propaganda with which politicians survive.

Both wanted to render accounts then with the Serbs showing them the double-headed eagle, the great nationalist symbol of Albania.

And the Serbian team thought that there would be no other way to start this World Cup -and to prepare for the reunion- than by hanging a flag in their dressing room that made the territory of Kosovo their own.

It was not surprising then that Shaqiri, when taking the first goal for Switzerland with a left footed shot in the area, went to the bottom of the Serbian fans.

There was no eagle this time.

Staring at that area full of Serbian flags, Shaqiri put his index finger to his lips and demanded silence.

The fans responded by bellowing and throwing some object.

Shaqiri silences the Serbian fans.INA FASSBENDERAFP

The opening goal, however, did not intimidate

, a torment for the Swiss defense at dawn.

The Ajax midfielder was the key to the essential vault so that

and

could strike.

So the Balkans rose up offering both physical waste and technical quality in that initial act.

At 1-1, Mitrovic, one of the best finishers in the world, stuck his head out to sublimate a

cross from the left side.

The Serbian striker, who had taken note of Shaqiri's previous celebration, did more or less the same.

Although from the center of the field, Mitrovic remained planted for a while, silencing the Swiss.

Right after, he started waving his hands as if to say, "Keep talking."

In the middle of Tadic's dance, it was 1-2 thanks to the fact that Vlahovic knew how to take advantage of

's carelessness .

, who replaced a flu-like

in goal , could not oppose anything.

What the Balkans did not expect is that Switzerland, much more orderly and coherent, would equalize just before the break.

Stojkovic's rearguard, very disappointing, did not know how to control Widmer's cross or

's shot on empty goal .

And Serbia was no longer the same.

The blow was so bad that

's footballers knew how to play with their rival's nerves.

Barely three minutes into the second half had passed and Freuler, after a backheel from Vargas, reached a 2-3 lead that set Switzerland in the round of 16.

From there, little else was played.

Mitrovic dropped into the area and claimed a penalty that the referee wanted nothing to know about.

With Shaqiri already on the bench, Xhaka faced the entire Serbian bench as he passed his hand through his crotch.

He ended the night shoving with Milenkovic.

The duel closed, the Swiss footballers left to celebrate the classification with their fans.

One of those fans fired them by imitating the double-headed eagle.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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• Serbian national football team

• Swiss Soccer Team

• Articles Francisco Cabezas