World Cup

[monks data]

World Cup | Last 16

Dec 6, 2022 at 7pm UK

Lusail Iconic Stadium

Portugal
6 - 1
Switzerland

Ramos (17', 51', 67'), Pepe (33'), Guerreiro (55'), Leao (90+2')

FT(HT: 2-0)

Akanji (58')
Schar (43'), Comert (59')

World Cup 2022: Reasons for Switzerland to be confident of beating Portugal

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter

Published: December 5 2022 | 19:01

Last updated: December 7 2022 | 01:01

Ahead of Tuesday's World Cup 2022 last-16 clash between Portugal and Switzerland, Sports Mole looks at the reasons for Murat Yakin's men to be confident of progressing.

The Lusail Iconic Stadium plays host to Tuesday's World Cup 2022 last-16 meeting between Portugal and Switzerland, who are aiming to prolong A Selecao's knockout misery on the biggest stage.

Murat Yakin's men sealed a second-placed finish in Group G courtesy of a nervy and bad-tempered 3-2 win over Serbia, having also beaten Cameroon 1-0 before going down to Brazil by the same scoreline.

The Rossocrociati have not reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup since they last hosted the competition in 1954, but there are plenty of eye-catching statistics which point towards a Swiss shock in Tuesday's contest.

Here, Sports Mole looks at three reasons for Switzerland to be confident of making it through to the quarter-finals and sending Portugal packing.

Superior head-to-head record

Switzerland's Ricardo Rodriguez celebrates scoring against Portugal in the UEFA Nations League on June 5, 2019. © Reuters

Switzerland and Portugal have unsurprisingly met quite a few times down the years - 25 to be exact - but it may come as a surprise to learn that the Rossocrociati have more wins than their Iberian counterparts.

Indeed, Switzerland have 11 triumphs under their belt against Portugal, who have only recorded nine wins over their upcoming opponents alongside five draws, and much of the Rossocrociati's success in this fixture has come in recent times.

The world's 15th-ranked nation won four of their first five matches with Portugal, who enjoyed a brief renaissance with a six-game unbeaten run between 1986 and 1993, but more success has come the way of the Swiss since the turn of the millennium.

Switzerland recorded a 2-0 win over Portugal at Euro 2008 before winning by the same scoreline in World Cup qualifying in 2016, although A Selecao would then prevail three times in a row up to and including June's 4-0 Nations League success.

However, the most recent meeting between the two nations saw Yakin's side pick up a 1-0 win in the Nations League - only seven days on from that 4-0 thumping - so the Rossocrociati certainly possess the recipe for success against their more esteemed opponents.

Portugal's knockout woes

Portugal players pose for a team group photo before the match in September 2022 © Reuters

Despite going all the way at Euro 2016 before collecting the inaugural Nations League crown in the 2018-19 edition, Portugal have been unable to make waves at the World Cup in recent memory and have made a habit of going out early.

Somewhat surprisingly, A Selecao have only progressed further than the last 16 on two occasions, finishing third in 1966 and fourth in 2006, and they failed to make it out of the groups in 2014.

Four years prior, Portugal's run in the South Africa tournament ended in defeat to eventual winners Spain in the last 16, and they fell at the same stage in the 2018 edition, going down 2-1 to Uruguay.

All four of Portugal's most recent knockout games at the World Cup have seen A Selecao come out on the losing side, and they also had to rely on their penalty prowess to get past England in the 2006 quarters after a 0-0 draw.

Then again, Switzerland's last two World Cup runs in 2014 and 2018 have also come to an end in the last 16, so neither side can proudly boast any knockout nous ahead of Tuesday's game.

Cristiano Ronaldo drought

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo in action against Ghana at the World Cup on November 24, 2022 © Reuters

Just the one goal came the way of Cristiano Ronaldo in Group H - which saw him become the first man to score in five World Cups - although that is one more than the 37-year-old has ever scored in the knockout stages.

The former Manchester United man has netted a respectable eight goals at the World Cup across the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions, and all eight of those have come in the group stage, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner yet to score in the last 16 or beyond.

It has not been for the want of trying, as Ronaldo has posted 25 shots on goal without success in the World Cup knockout stages, and he shared that fate with rival Lionel Messi for a long time before the Argentine finally scores his first World Cup knockout goal against Australia on Saturday.

Messi has won that fight with Ronaldo in their perennial battle for footballing supremacy, and the latter could fancy his chances of ending his own barren run against a Switzerland side with only one clean sheet from their last six games, but it still does not make for pleasant reading for him.