Opportunity knocks for Swiss and Sweden as last eight spot up for grabs

Gerry Cox

One thing is for sure in this World Cup – nothing is certain.

If you love the unpredictability of sport, and root for the underdog in classic cup football, you’ll have been thoroughly spoiled in what has turned into one of the most intriguing and dramatic major tournaments in living memory.

World champions Germany out in the first round – check.

Spain, Argentina, and Portugal out in the last 16 – check.

Messi, Ronaldo, and Iniesta home before the quarter-finals – check.

Stoppage-time winners, sensational goals, and penalty shootout drama – check.

Even the England camp is a model of harmony among the previously cliquey players and the press pack.

So every expectation of what a World Cup should be about has been turned on its head, which leaves the intriguing prospect of at least one long-shot into the last eight, and maybe even a surprise winner.

So when Switzerland play Sweden in St Petersburg this afternoon, for the right to face the winner of England v Colombia which is later in the evening, don’t be surprised if there is another shock in store.

Sure, the Swiss arrived in Russia as sixth in the Fifa rankings, but few outside the home of Fifa believed they would go far.

Sweden were even farther out in the rankings and the betting, coming up against Germany, Mexico, and South Korea in the first phase. So for Sweden to win Group F and the Germans to finish last and have to return in humiliation was a huge surprise.

Now the Swedes are determined to prove it was no fluke, and like the Swiss, are warning anyone who will listen, particularly England’s supporters, to underestimate the so-called lesser teams at their peril.

The talk in England is about getting the ‘easier’ side of the draw if they get past Colombia, and with Spain now out, it is being seen by some as a cakewalk to the final for Gareth Southgate’s side.

But both Janne Andersson and Vladimir Petkovic were quick to shoot down such suppositions, pointing to the evidence of the big guns that lie wasted by the roadside already.

Andersson’s Sweden had not been at a World Cup since Germany in 2006, and their already slim chances were thought to be effectively strangled at birth when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was left out of the final squad.

But like England without Wayne Rooney or any of the other superstars that used to bring baggage with them, Sweden have proved to be a team whose whole is greater than the sum of their parts.

Spot the superstar is a recurring theme of the lesser football nations who have overcome much bigger fish at this World Cup – there usually isn’t one.

Russia beat Spain through collective hard work, willpower, and the lottery that is a penalty shoot-out.

Big name individuals like Messi, Ronaldo, and Iniesta, who could once dictate events and ride roughshod over the rank and file, are no longer able to triumph when they are up against hard-working and organised collectives, all driven by the same ideology and hungry for success.

It might be stretching a point to compare a football tournament to the rise of communist Russia in the first-half of the 20th Century, but the themes are the same – collectivism rather than individualism, the working class rising up against the aristocracy. Statues of Lenin still abound here in Russia, and what he would have made of it is anyone’s guess.

Vladimir Putin is no football fan – ice-hockey and bear wrestling are thought to be more up his street – but even he cannot fail to notice the rising tide of national pride the host country has been experiencing over the past few weeks.

Many Russians didn’t believe their out-of-sorts side could beat Saudi Arabia in the opening game, yet here they are two weeks later celebrating victory over Spain.

It’s about the individual versus the collective,” said Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka in St Petersburg as he prepared to face Sweden.

“I don’t think Russia have better individuals than Spain, but we have seen how teams can gel if they are united in the way they play and cling together.”

He cited Croatia as another example, and England are another.

With the exception of Harry Kane, Gareth Southgate’s men do not stack up individually against those of the Golden Generation of Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Ferdinand. But this lot already look more like a team than the ones who failed at tournament after tournament over the past 20 years.

Petkovic picked up on his theme.

You have seen throughout this World Cup that we have played really well and are doing well. So have Sweden, who also kicked out Italy in qualifying. We are not weak opponents for anyone. England have made good progress as well, creating a real team. And we can be a surprise to those who underestimate us.

Andersson added: “Some of the results so far are fascinating and it really shows that the greatest, biggest nations won’t win all the time. That, to me, is a source of inspiration.”

And it demonstrates why anything may yet happen between now and the lifting of the trophy in Moscow on July 15th.

Take nothing for granted.