I just wandered back in from watching Switzerland beat Korea with a group of Swiss Italians. The Swiss fans were a friendly and enthusiastic bunch – the fact that I was wearing a red t-shirt was enough to obviate any need to purchase my own alcohol – and their team looks quite solid as long as Senderos is anchoring the defense. It was a good game, featuring plenty of attacking and intense battling for the ball, between two fairly even sides.
Senderos’ goal was fantastic while Frei’s goal was offsides, barely, but the Korean defenders made the mistake of looking for the flag instead of playing until the whistle blew, so they deserved to give up the goal. I’m not shocked that Switzerland took its group, but I am surprised, and I rather expect them to now knock off a Ukraine side that is very average apart from the always-dangerous Shevchenko. It’s a pity the spirited Koreans won’t advance instead of an underperforming France, but then, if you can’t manage to finish off the weak team in your group, going home is the usual consequence.
A big win for the Swiss, in that it allows them to avoid a very talented Spain side in the quarterfinals. That being said, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if France finally shows up to play in the quarters and leaves the Spaniards once again disappointed.