Switzerland beat Portugal 2-0 to win their first World Cup qualifier, but Granit Xhaka’s red card marred an otherwise excellent evening for the Swiss.
Embolo opens the scoring for Switzerland
Switzerland took the lead after 23 minutes through Breel Embolo. The 19-year-old Schalke striker headed in the rebound after Rui Patrício could only parry Ricardo Rodriguez’s free-kick.
Switzerland doubled their lead seven minutes later through a brilliant counterattack. Haris Seferović crossed into Admir Mehmedi from the byline and the Bayer Leverkusen striker made no mistake from 15 yards out.
The evening was spoiled for Vladimir Petković’s men when Arsenal midfielder Xhaka was given a second yellow in injury-time after putting in two careless tackles.
Xhaka walks off after receiving his red card
Arsenal fans took to Twitter after the game to comment on Xhaka’s red card, and while many are worried by his perceived discipline issues, a lot of them didn’t care and are glad that an impending ban will allow him to focus on playing for his club.
Xhaka’s tenacity is viewed as one of his strengths, but it can come at a price as he has a tendency to give away fouls and receive the ire of the referee. He received five red cards during his time in the Bundesliga, but it is this forcefulness that endears him to many Arsenal fans, given the similarities between his demeanour and that of Patrick Vieira.
The upcoming match with Southampton this weekend is at the forefront of the Gunners’ minds, and they want their £30 million-signing to show his worth at the Emirates.
Xhaka in action for Arsenal against Watford
His job will be made a lot easier if he can stay on the field.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
