Switzerland vs. Portugal: Score, Reaction from World Cup 2018 Qualifier

Portugal may be coming off their first European championship, but they learned the hard way qualification to the 2018 World Cup won't come easy. The Euro 2016 winners fell, 2-0, to the Swiss on Tuesday night at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland.

The Portuguese were without their best player, as Cristiano Ronaldo continues to miss time as a result of the knee injury he suffered in the Euro 2016 final. His creativity and playmaking ability were sorely lacking Tuesday, since Portugal struggled mightily in the final third.

However, defending was a far bigger issue for Portugal. Switzerland were up 2-0 by the 30th minute following goals from Breel Embolo and Admir Mehmedi.

For Embolo's opener in the 24th minute, Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio failed to knock Ricardo Rodriguez's free-kick out of danger. Instead, he deflected the ball right into the path of Embolo, who had a free header after being left unmarked just outside the six-yard box.

Fox Soccer shared a replay of the goal:

Two defensive mistakes also led to Mehmedi's tally six minutes later. Left back Raphael Guerreiro didn't track Haris Seferovic's run down the right flank, and the Swiss striker was able to find Mehmedi in the box. The Portuguese back four were then slow to react and allowed Mehmedi ample time to place his shot in the top-right corner, courtesy of Fox Soccer:

Despite the team being down two goals, PortuGOAL.net's Tom Kundert wasn't dispirited by the performance of manager Fernando Santos' side:

Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic opted for a more defensive style in the second half, which exacerbated Portugal's lack of bite in the 18-yard box. Over the course of the match, the visitors registered 27 total shots, only four of which were on target.

Nani nearly halved the deficit in the 82nd minute. He had a great look at goal after leaping up to meet Ricardo Quaresma's cross from the right, but he mistimed his header and sent the ball off the right post. Switzerland cleared the danger before a Portuguese player could pounce on the rebound.

For the most part, Switzerland did an excellent job of staying defensively organized and breaking up any Portuguese attack before it could fully materialize.

Onefootball thought Ronaldo's absence cast a big shadow over the match for Portugal:

"

The European champions have started their #RoadToRussia with a loss to Switzerland. No Ronaldo, no party it seems. pic.twitter.com/D3xL38dWvu

— Onefootball (@Onefootball) September 6, 2016"

Losing to Switzerland is the worst possible result for Portugal, especially since they and Switzerland will likely be battling for the top spot in Group B. The three points the Swiss earned could be pivotal by the time qualification wraps up.

Having a healthy Ronaldo will be a major boost for Portugal in the future, though some will argue Portugal's continued reliance on the Real Madrid star is somewhat concerning. The team still lacks a consistent No. 9, with Eder putting in a forgettable showing against Switzerland.

Of course, Santos has plenty of time to iron out the issues with his team. Qualification won't conclude until October 2017, so fans shouldn't be reaching for the panic button.

Although Switzerland now sit atop Group B, Tuesday's match wasn't without some negatives, most notably Granit Xhaka's sending-off in the third minute of second-half injury time. The Arsenal midfielder will miss the Swiss's next qualifying match against Hungary on Oct. 7.

Still, Petkovic will more than satisfied with the victory given how strong Switzerland looked at both ends of the pitch.

Post-Match Reaction

Santos rued how much Embolo's opening goal changed the match.

"In the first 20 minutes, the Swiss were completely overrun but they scored a goal," he said, per Reuters (via Marca). "From then on, [Switzerland] used the tactics that Portugal often use and defended well. Our opponents were more pragmatic and more efficient."

Santos also discussed how he attempted to turn the tide in Portugal's favor in the second half, per Goal's Tom Webber: "Trailing 2-0, I tried to change things, play with two strikers. We had chances to score, we could have created more. In the latter stages, Switzerland just defended but we created some danger in the final minutes when we played with more heart."