Goalkeeper keeps Swiss level with Portugal in first half

Switzerland 0 Portugal 0

Retiring goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler deflected a Pepe effort onto the underside of the crossbar to keep Switzerland on level terms at the interval of their final Euro 2008 match against Portugal.

With the Portuguese already guaranteed top spot in Group A and the Swiss knowing they could not climb off the bottom no matter what the result, there was on the face of it little to play for at Basle’s St Jakob-Park.

But both teams played their part in an entertaining opening 45 minutes.

Luiz Felipe Scolari made eight changes to his line-up from the team that started Portugal’s first two matches, with only goalkeeper Ricardo and defenders Paulo Ferreira and Pepe retained.

Kobi Kuhn, overseeing his last game after seven years at the Swiss helm, made two changes with Zuberbuhler handed a farewell start in place of Diego Benaglio and Johan Vonlanthen coming in for Tranquillo Barnetta in midfield.

The first opportunity of the match arrived after seven minutes, when an audacious back-heeled cross from Ricardo Quaresma was headed over the bar by Helder Postiga.

Ten minutes later, Pepe got a touch on Nani’s low free-kick but Zuberbuhler did enough to divert the effort onto the woodwork.

Ricardo also then had to be alert to tip Gokhan Inler’s swerving blast over for a corner.

The action continued to flow from end to end, with Postiga’s shot from Nani’s pull-back looking destined for the bottom-right corner until Philippe Senderos’ intervention.

Senderos then slid in at the other end and was just inches away from connecting with Hakan Yakin’s free-kick.

Ricardo then produced a fine save to deny Yakin a second goal of the tournament, superbly palming away the Young Boys midfielder’s header.

Ten minutes before half-time, Postiga was put through by Quaresma and had the ball in the net but the strike was ruled out for offside.