DPA
Doha
Switzerland aim to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 68 years on Tuesday against Portugal, and goalkeeper Yann Sommer and defender Nico Elvedi have recovered in time from illness to play.
Sommer and Elvedi had missed the last group game against Serbia on Friday after catching a cold but have since recovered.
“The ill players who were absent are back on board,” coach Murat Yakin said on Monday, adding he had all players available and was “spoilt for choice.” Yakin praised his team as “mature and ready” as the Swiss seek a first quarter-final berth since the 1954 tournament they hosted.
“It’s a great chance to continue writing our history. We’ve seen the euphoria in Switzerland and we’d like to give them another game,” Yakin said.
Forward Breel Embolo also insisted that the game against Cristiano Ronaldo and company was not to be the end of the ride in Qatar.
“We want to go further, always further. I think every team that comes here has the highest possible goal - and we have that as well,” Embolo said.
Switzerland and Portugal met twice this year in the Nations League, sharing a victory each with Portugal winning 4-0 and the Swiss 1-0.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was on Monday criticised by his Portugal coach Fernando Santos over his attitude when he was substituted in the last World Cup group game against South Korea.
Ronaldo, 37, had argued and grumbled when taken off in the 65th minute of Friday’s game, with the star player and Santos saying later Ronaldo had been upset with a Korean player.
Santos told reporters on Monday: “Did I see the images? Yes. Did I like it? Absolutely not. I didn’t like it at all.
“Icouldn’t hear anything when I was on the pitch, I was too far away. I only heard him argue with the Korean player. But the issue has been cleared up and ticked off.
“These things are solved internally, and then it continues. Everyone is focussed on the game,” he added ahead of Tuesday’s last-16 date with Switzerland.
Santos did not reveal whether Ronaldo would be starter on Tuesday, saying only that all players are ready.
“I will announce it [the starting 11] to the team when we have arrived at the stadium, that has always been the case,” he said.
Santos has in the past always defended his superstar Ronaldo, including around the circumstances of his release from Manchester United and the search for a new club - although it has overshadowed Portugal’s appearances in Qatar.
