UEFA Nations League: Switzerland shock a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Portugal 1-0

Swiss players celebrate their victory against Portugal. Pic/AFP

A resilient Switzerland side denied Portugal a chance of leading Group A2 in the UEFA Nations League by stunning the Euro 2016 winners 1-0. The Portugal side was without their star player Cristiano Ronaldo.

It took the Swiss less than a minute to get on the scoresheet. This was the fastest goal scored in the tournament thus far. Mainz right-back Silvan Widmer whipped a delicious ball into the box which Benfica frontman Haris Seferovic headed powerfully past Rui Patricio.

Once Portugal had steadied themselves after the early jolt, they created their first chance in the 17th minute. Bruno Fernandes' corner was sent into the path of Ruben Dias who nodded it to Danilo. But the latter's header was denied smartly by the Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin.

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The Portuguese side came out with much more vigour in the second half. However, they failed to get the ball past an impressive Omlin in Geneva.

After the match, Switzerland's captain Granit Xhaka said, "I had a good feeling before the game because I knew we could beat a team like Portugal, a bigger team, because we have the quality to. I'm more than happy for the team, for the people outside who are always supporting us. A big three points for us today."

The result leaves Portugal in second place, behind Spain, with 7 points in 4 games. Switzerland meanwhile remain rooted to the bottom with 3 points in 4 outings.

(With inputs from ANI)