FIFA World Cup: Switzerland beat Serbia in Group E clash
Kaliningrad (Russia), June 23 : A late goal by Xherdan Shaqiri earned Switzerland 2-1 win over Serbia in a Group E clash of the FIFA World Cup at the Kaliningrad Stadium here.
Aleksandar Mitrovic handed Serbia the lead in the fifth minute during the match on Friday.
Switzerland equalised in the second half, thanks to a superb long range strike by Granit Xhaka (52nd). Shaqiri (90th) found the winning goal in the final minute of regulation time .
Switzerland thus became the first team at this World Cup to clinch a come from behind victory after conceding first.
They now have four points from two matches, having held title contenders Brazil to a draw in their campaign opener.
They are at the same number of points as Brazil, but sit at the second place behind the South Americans due to an inferior goal difference.
Serbia are on three points from two games. They are currently third in the group.
Serbia enjoyed a promising start when Dusan Tadic won the ball near the corn er flag and sent in a cross which was headed in by Mitrovic.
The setback galvanised the Swiss who dominated possession for the rest of the game.
But despite being under considerable pressure, the Serbian defence prevented the Swiss from creating too many clear chances in the first half.
Switzerland finally made their domination count when Shaqiri's shot was bloc ked by the Serbian defence.
Xhaka pounced on the loose ball and unleashed a first time attempt from outs ide the penalty box which beat Serbia goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic with its pace and vicious swing before bulging the net.
Xhaka is the third Swiss player to score in more than one World Cup tournament. He follows in the footsteps of former stars Jacques Fatton and Andre Abegglen.
Abegglen scored in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups while Fatton scored at the 1950 and 1954 editions.
Shaqiri hit the post soon after with a curling attempt from the right edge of the Serbia box.
Serbia did have their chances in the second half, not least a square pass across the face of goal by Aleksandar Kolarov which missed the extended leg of a Serbian player at the far post by mere inches.
Shaqiri found the winner in the closing stages off the counter.
He latched on to a pass out of defence, made a solo run from the half line with the Serbian defence caught off guard, before scoring with a calm finish.
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Ramesh flays BJP MPs' praise of Modi, compares Parliament to North Korea's Assembly
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Congress leader and senior parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh has criticised BJP MPs for "excessively" praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament, saying their actions sometimes give him the feeling that he is sitting in the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, a totalitarian Communist country.
In an interview with PTI, Ramesh responded to questions related to India's foreign policy in the wake of attacks on Iran by the forces of the US and Israel, alleging that all matters concerning the country- -including external affairs and finance- -are handled by a single man.
The longtime Rajya Sabha MP said he sometimes felt he was "sitting in the Parliament of North Korea"- -a reference to the actions of members of the SPA when their supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, enters- -when he listened to speeches from the treasury benches in New Delhi.
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"Today, it's a one-man show. It's a one-man band. So it's the PM's foreign policy, it's the PM's budget. Everything is the PM," Ramesh said.
The AICC general secretary in-charge (Communications) said that when he sat in Parliament in the morning, he was the first to arrive and the last to leave.
The senior leader said he came, sat regularly and diligently, and remained there throughout the day.
"Sometimes I get the impression that I'm sitting in the Parliament of North Korea. I listen to the people from the BJP. Whatever be the subject, whatever the issue, 90 per cent of the speech will be praising the Prime Minister. Nothing to do with the subject, nothing to do with the bill. They will be praising the Prime Minister."
"When the Prime Minister enters, slogans, you know, table thumping, sloganeering, 'Modi, Modi, Modi.' This is the Parliament of India," Ramesh alleged.
He said even at moments of national triumph, such scenes were rare.
Referring to the 1971 war with Pakistan, he said then prime minister Indira Gandhi may have received an enthusiastic response on December 16, 1971, when Pakistan surrendered, and when the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee called her "Durga".
"Maybe that day everybody would have cheered her. But this one, every time he walks in... Modi bhajanam," he said.
"This has never happened. When Mr Nehru walked in, nobody said, ‘Nehru, Nehru, Nehru," Ramesh said, launching a broader attack on the foreign policy of Prime Minister Modi, particularly in the context of developments in West Asia.
"It is very clear that the Modi government is totally allied with Israel. It is afraid of (US President Donald) Trump. It has embraced Israel. It is very unfortunate," he said.
Referring to the 2023 attacks by Hamas in Israel, Ramesh said: "What happened on October 7, 2023, was absolutely unacceptable. No question about it."
However, he added, "What Israel has done subsequently, and what the US has supported along with Israel to do in Gaza and in Iran, that also is equally unacceptable."
He accused the government of abandoning India's traditional position.
"We recognised the State of Palestine on November 18, 1988. We were amongst the first countries in the world. And look at what we are doing now. In this regard, India has demonstrated moral cowardice," he said.
On India's economic exposure to the Middle East region, Ramesh noted the scale of migration and remittances.
"The total number of Indians working in the region is almost 10 million. We get about 40 or 50 billion dollars in terms of remittances every year. Kerala's economy is heavily, absolutely dependent," he said, stressing that "the security and safety of Indian citizens is absolutely important."
Ramesh alleged that India's independent foreign policy was now "a thing of the past".
"It's not foreign policy, it's not diplomacy. I call it huggomacy. Hug everybody and show that you're personal friends," he said, taking a dig at PM Modi.
He alleged that key announcements were being made from Washington rather than New Delhi.
"The first announcement that Operation Sindoor was going to be halted came from Washington. The first announcement of the trade deal came from Washington. The first announcement of stopping Russian oil came from Washington. Why can’t we take our people into confidence," he asked.
Responding to suggestions that the Congress position amounted to a Leftist stance, he said: "It's not a left position. This is the nationalist position. We are taking a nationalist position."
He cited India's stand during the 1971 Bangladesh crisis.
"Look at 1971, the American position on Bangladesh, how they tried to make life impossible for Indira Gandhi and how she stood up to Richard Nixon," he said.
Ramesh said that India's strategic autonomy must be preserved.
"Nobody can dictate to us what our relationship with Russia will be," he said, referring to longstanding defence and energy ties.
He alleged India's standing had declined.
"In my view, our standing has come down dramatically," he said, alleging that foreign policy was increasingly being used for domestic political polarisation.
