Spirited Swiss upset Portugal

Host-nation Switzerland has bowed out of Euro 2008 with a flourish, defeating a second-string Portugal 2-0 in Basel tonight in the tournament's first dead-rubber.

Roared on by a vocal home crowd, the Swiss took full advantage of the weakened Portuguese outfit, and two second-half goals from veteran Hakan Yakin were enough to seal an impressive win in manager Kobi Kuhn's last game in charge.

The Portuguese performance will concern their manager Luis Felipe Scolari to some extent, as nearly all of their second-stringers failed to do enough to fight their way into Scolari's plans for the knockout stage.

As flagged by Scolari, eight changes were made to the side that defeated Turkey and the Czech Republic, with only the goalkeeper Ricardo, and defenders Paulo Ferreira and Pepe making their third starts.

This gave an opportunity for young starlets Miguel Veloso and Nani, along with the enigmatic Ricardo Quaresma, Helder Postiga and Miguel to press their claims for a berth in the team for their quarter-final clash.

The Portuguese did begin the game brightly, as Quaresma's full bag of tricks was on show after his stupendous cross was headed over by the constantly offside Postiga.

Portugal's best early chance came just after the quarter-hour, as a drilled free-kick by Miguel was deflected goal-bound by Pepe, but Swiss keeper Pascal Zuberbuhler's touch was enough to divert it onto the crossbar and over.

Early on, the Swiss were restricted to shots from distance, as the impressive Gokhan Inler's speculative effort was smartly tipped over by the anxious Ricardo.

Ricardo once again looked shaky defending set-pieces, and this will certainly be an area that teams will look to exploit later in the tournament.

The Swiss were getting well into the game by the half-hour, and a deep free-kick by Yakin only just evaded Philippe Senderos at the back post. Two minutes later, Ricardo was forced into a diving save to his left by a Yakin header from a corner, as the game by now had well and truly opened up.

The game's first moment of controversy game 10 minutes before half-time, as Helder Postiga was played in on goal by Quaresma. He finished past Zuberbuhler, only for the linesman to flag for offside, but replays suggested that he was at least level with the edgy Swiss full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner.

So the first half finished goalless despite both teams enjoying opportunities, but the Portuguese should have surged ahead just after the interval, as another mistake by Lichtsteiner allowed Nani to race in on goal, but his near-post shot struck the outside of the upright and went wide.

Another mistake in the Swiss defence, this time by Senderos, gave Quaresma space on the edge of the penalty area five minutes later, but Zuberbuhler was equal to his subsequent effort as he palmed it clear.

The Portuguese would rue these errors, as the introduction of Tranquillo Barnetta for the ineffectual Johan Vonlanthen reinvigorated the Swiss, as the side settled into a nice rhythm, creating a host of chances.

Barnetta almost got his name on the score-sheet with his first touch. After clever play by Inler down the left, his drilled cross found Barnetta, whose poor effort was nearly deflected into the net by Pepe.

Inler again tried his luck from distance, and this time he was even closer, as his shot cannoned off the outside of the upright.

The Swiss were well and truly on top now, and their pressure finally told on 71 minutes as Hakan Yakin put them ahead.

After neat play down the right flank, the ball fell to the tireless Eren Derdiyok, whose deft first-time flick sent Yakin through, and he slotted the ball through Ricardo's legs to give Switzerland the lead.

It was a just reward for some sustained pressure around the Portuguese penalty area, but the Swiss nearly came undone only five minutes later as Quaresma had a wonderful chance to equalise.

After Nani dispossessed Gelson Fernandes in midfield, he released Ricardo Quaresma. But instead of shooting with only Zuberbuhler to beat, he instead tried to play the ball sideways to substitute Hugo Almeida, but Zuberbuhler dived on the ball and the chance was gone.

Portugal were to rue this miss as the Swiss made the game safe with 10 minutes to go from the penalty spot.

The influential Barnetta was brought down by Fernando Meira after flicking the ball beyond him, allowing Yakin to step up and complete his brace with a shot to Ricardo's right.

With the home fans by now in raptures, the Swiss held on for an uplifting 2-0 victory, and the Portuguese will now lick their wounds before facing a likely quarter-final against Germany, unless Austria or Poland can pull off a miracle.

Ratings

Switzerland
18 - Zuberbuhler - 7 - Did well to keep a clean sheet.
3 - Magnin - 7 - Solid performance.
4 - Senderos - 6 - Looked shaky at times.
5 - Lichtsteiner - 5 - Incredibly uncomfortable, too many mistakes.
8 - Inler - 8 - Very impressive.
10 - Yakin - 8 - Well-earned brace.
12 - Derdiyok - 7 - Some nice touches, worked tirelessly.
15 - Fernandes - 7 - Industrious game.
19 - Behrami - 7 - Looked lively before picking up early knock.
20 - Muller - 6 - Assured for the most part.
22 - Vonlanthen - 5 - Ineffectual.

(SUB) 7 - Cabanas - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 13 - Grichting - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 16 - Barnetta - 7 - Invigorated Swiss attack.

Portugal
1 - Ricardo - 5 - Didn't look comfortable at set-pieces.
2 - Ferreira - 6 - Brought off early after early booking.
3 - Bruno Alves - 6 - Decent.
5 - Meira - 5 - Clumsily gave away penalty. Looked slow.
6 - Raul Meireles - 6 - Not enough impact.
13 - Miguel - 6 - Didn't do enough to suggest he could displace Bosingwa.
15 - Pepe - 7 - Led the defensive line well.
17 - Quaresma - 6 - Frustratingly inconsistent.
18 - Veloso - 6 - Some nice touches.
19 - Nani - 6 - Should've scored.
23 - Postiga - 6 - Wasteful.

(SUB) 9 - Almeida - 6 - Not enough time.
(SUB) 10 - Moutinho - 6 - Not enough time.
(SUB) 14 - Jorge Ribeiro - 6 - Average.