Swiss snatch last-gasp win over defiant Cyprus

Substitute Haris Seferovic ended 90 minutes of frustration for Switzerland by scoring a last-gasp goal to give them a 1-0 win over defiant Cyprus in a World Cup qualifier yesterday. The two sides looked set for their second goalless draw in the group...

Substitute Haris Seferovic ended 90 minutes of frustration for Switzerland by scoring a last-gasp goal to give them a 1-0 win over defiant Cyprus in a World Cup qualifier yesterday.

The two sides looked set for their second goalless draw in the group until Xherdan Shaqiri slipped a pass through the Cyprus defence and Seferovic nipped in to lift the ball over goalkeeper Antonis Georgallides.

The Swiss, attempting to qualify for their third successive World Cup, went four points clear of Albania in Group E, regarded as the easiest of the nine European groups.

With coach Ottmar Hitzfeld serving the second game of a two-match touchline ban and the Stade de Geneve barely two-thirds full, Switzerland predictably dominated the game but struggled to break down the massed Cypriot defence.

Switzerland, unbeaten after six games, have 14 points, with Albania on 10 and Iceland nine. Cyprus are bottom with four.

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