Sweden edge past Switzerland to enter FIFA World Cup quarters
St Petersburg, July 3: Winger Emil Forsberg's second-half strike helped Sweden beat Switzerland 1-0 to enter the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup after a gap of 24 years.
It was a brilliant neck-and-neck affair till the 66th minute when Forsberg scored the goal, after which Switzerland failed to display the same energy and thus lost the issue.
Forsberg broke the deadlock in the 66th minute through a low-ball shot which was deflected by Switzerland's Manuel Akanji in the goalpost.
The match started with Switzerland taking the upper hand in the match. In the opening minute, Switzerland's wide forward Xherdan Shaqiri slammed a ball from distance to the near post.
Shaqiri did not stop here and went on with the another chance few minutes later but the ball was deflected away from the danger zone by the defenders.
After putting up the early pressure, Sweden regrouped their strategy and it paid off to some extent as forward M. Berg beat the offside trap and charged in behind, but his shot was stopped by the goalkeeper Yann Sommer in one-on-one tackle.
Just after this attack, Switzerland found themselves under pressure as defender J. Djourou, who was in the starting XI in place of suspended Fabian Schar, made an head attempt unconvincingly in the box which landed in-front of Shaqiri and the latter got it clear to deny a brilliant effort.
In the 27th minute, Sweden got another chance to take the lead when striker O. Toivonen slammed the ball to the bottom-left corner but he failed to finish perfectly as goalkeeper Sommer dived to his right to deny the effort.
With both teams attacking fiercely, none of them found the back of the net in first 30 minutes of the match. Shaqiri, Toivonen, Berg tried hard to score for their respective teams but lacked proper finishing.
In the 38th minute, the best scoring chance of the game came when some brilliant one-touch passing pierced the Swedish defence down the left before Blerim Dzemaili blasted over from inside the box.
The next couple of minutes saw both teams creating chances in each other's box but failed in converting those chances and as a result Sweden and Switzerland went to the tunnel goalless.
In the second half, Sweden continued where it left. In the 49th minute, Forsberg displayed brilliant skill to dodge two Swiss players before Toivonen snatched the ball and slammed over over the bar.
The series of attacks continued and the much awaited moment came in the 66th minute when Forsberg found the space on the edge of the box and fired low shot which was deflected by Akanji in the goalpost.
The goal forced Switzerland to play more attacking game as their forwards starting putting pressure on Sweden's defence. But unperturbed by the pressure, Swedish players kept their calm.
Sweden soon, made series of substitutions to minimise the pressure and the move proved to be successful as they were close to earn a penalty in the dying minutes of the game. But a free-kick by Andreas Granqvist from just outside the box which was brilliantly saved by Sommer to wrap up the issue 1-0
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10 held for sale of prohibited narcotic substances in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): In a major crackdown, the Bengaluru police on Thursday announced the arrest of 10 people allegedly involved in the sale of prohibited narcotic substances in parts of the city.
Among them are three foreign nationals, including two women, they said.
With their arrests, police claimed to have seized 5 kg of MDMA (crystal), 1 kg of cocaine, 21 kg ganja, and 19 gms ecstasy pills and a two-wheeler used in the commission of crime.
The seized drugs are worth Rs 11.81 crore, with an estimated market value of Rs 23.63 crore, they added.
According to police, based on credible information received on various dates, officers and staff came to know that prohibited narcotic substances such as MDMA (crystal), cocaine, ganja, and ecstasy pills were being sold within the limits of Yelahanka New Town, D J Halli, Koramangala, Bommanahalli, and Pulakeshinagar Police Stations.
Acting on this information, cases were registered under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act at the respective police stations, and raids were conducted at the identified locations, a senior police officer said.
During these operations, a total of 10 accused persons were apprehended on different dates, he said.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that, with the intention of making quick money, they were procuring narcotic substances such as MDMA (crystal), cocaine, ganja, and ecstasy pills from foreign, interstate, and local unidentified suppliers at lower prices, and selling them to the public, including college students, the officer said.
Efforts are on to trace the foreign and interstate suppliers involved in supplying these narcotic substances. Investigation in the cases is in progress, police said.
All 10 accused were produced before the Court on different dates and have been remanded to judicial custody, they added.
