Nations League: Switzerland score an unlikely 5-2 win over heavyweights Belgium

Switzerland scored an unlikely, yet fascinating 5-2 win over heavyweights Belgium courtesy a breath-taking hat-trick by Haris Seferovic which helped them stage a comeback win and reach the Nations League finals.

The win was highly unlikely, especially after the fact that Thorgan Hazard gave Belgium a two-lead at the end of just 17 minutes on the clock, which left their opponents reeling, requiring a total of four goals to make it to the next stage.
Switzerland’s hopes were raised when Ricardo Rodriguez netted one from the spot before Seferovic added a second just before half-time to level the score.

Nico Elvedi added the third one for Switzerland from a header in the 62nd minute before Seferovic once again stepped up, completing his hattrick in the 84th minute to cap off a dominant win over the number one ranked side in the world.

What makes this win more special is not just the scoreline which read 5-2 in favour of the hosts. But that it came after Belgium had already buried two into the Swiss net was what made this win a more fascinating one which made the fans at the stadium believe that this team was capable of delivering the odds, reinstating that faith after they lost 0-1 to Qatar in recent times.

Also read: Nations League: England register stunning comeback win over Croatia

It was indeed a day for comebacks as England too walked across a similar path to dump Croatia en route to the finals. Nacer Chadli’s foul on Mbabu led to the referee awarding a penalty and Rodriguez didn’t make a mistake from the spot, sending Courtois the wrong way.

Seferovic emerged as the unlikely hero for his side and his partnership with Xherdan Shaqiri proved to be a lethal one for the Swissmen. Shaqiri’s cross was turned into the net by Seferovic to score the equaliser for his side. Edimilson Fernandes’ cross was netted for Switzerland to gain the lead while Elvedi doubled the advantage from a header after he received a cross from Shaqiri.

The fifth came when the Liverpool forward found Mbabu on the back heel and Seferovic came up with a perfect header to cap off the win.

Image credit-Xinhuanet