World Cup 2018 Groups Table: Complete Standings After Friday's Play
Xherdan Shaqiri put Switzerland in an excellent position to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Friday, as his last-gasp winner saw his team to a 2-1 win against Serbia.
After falling behind to an Aleksandar Mitrovic opener in the first period, Switzerland were much improved after half-time. Granit Xhaka scored a screamer of an equaliser before Shaqiri added a dramatic late winner.
There was stoppage-time chaos in the other Group E game on Friday too, as Brazil netted twice through Philippe Coutinho and Neymar after the 90th minute to beat Costa Rica.
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In the one Group D game, Ahmed Musa struck twice to see Nigeria past Iceland.
Read on for a recap of the matches on Friday and a look at how the group stages are shaping up after this trio of results.
Group Standings
Group A (Games played, goal difference, points)
1. Russia, 2, +7, 6
2. Uruguay, 2, +2, 6
3. Egypt, 2, -3, 0
4. Saudi Arabia, 2, -6, 0
Group B
1. Spain, 2, +1, 4
2. Portugal, 2, +1, 4
3. Iran, 2, 0, 3
4. Morocco, 2, -2, 0
Group C
1. France, 2, +2, 6
2. Denmark, 2, +1, 4
3. Australia, 2, -1, 1
4. Peru, 2, -2, 0
Group D
1. Croatia, 2, +5, 6
2. Nigeria, 2, 0, 3
3. Iceland, 2, -2, 1
4. Argentina, 2, -3, 1
Group E
1. Brazil, 2, +2, 4
2. Switzerland, 2, +1, 4
3. Serbia, 2, -1, 3
4. Costa Rica, 2, -3, 0
Group F
1. Sweden, 1, +1, 3
2. Mexico, 1, +1, 3
3. Germany, 1, -1, 0
4. South Korea, 1, -1, 0
Group G
1. Belgium, 1, +3, 3
2. England, 1, +1, 3
3. Tunisia, 1, -1, 0
4. Panama, 1, -3, 0
Group H
1. Japan 1, +1, 3
2. Senegal 1, +1, 3
3. Poland 1, -1, 0
4. Colombia 1, -1, 0
For the complete standings, visit FIFA.com.
Friday Results
Brazil 2-0 Costa Rica
Nigeria 2-0 Iceland
Serbia 1-2 Switzerland
Friday Recap
Costa Rica came so close to earning a famous point on Friday before Brazil's two star attackers broke their hearts with stoppage time goals.
The Central Americans had been resolute up until the 91st minute of the contest, stifling the talent in the Selecao's ranks. But they finally yielded, when Roberto Firmino leapt tremendously in the area, nodding the ball down into the path on the onrushing Coutinho.
From there the Barcelona man finished calmly, planting the ball through the legs of Keylor Navas for his second goal of the tournament. Coutinho has shined in both games for Brazil:
Neymar finished the game in focus, though, as he was on hand to score a second in the 97th minute. Following the final whistle, there was then a clear outpouring of emotion from the Paris Saint-Germain star.
Earlier in the game, the world's most expensive footballer had seen a penalty awarded and then overturned after a VAR review. Tony Barrett suggested the right decision had been made:
The game that followed also took a while to warm up, although the performance of Musa was undoubtedly worth the wait.
The forward netted two exceptional goals to propel Nigeria clear of Iceland. Firstly, he struck a fine half-volley after a tidy piece of control, and then, later on, he sprinted away from the Iceland defence before finishing with a degree of impudence.
As noted by ESPN FC, it's not the first time that he's been on the scoresheet on a couple of occasions in a World Cup match:
Iceland did have an opportunity to net themselves from the penalty spot with eight minutes left. However, Gyfli Sigurdsson spurned the chance to make it 2-1, as he fired over from 12 yards.
Arguably the most dramatic moment of the day came in the final embers of the final game, though, as Shaqiri pounced on some slack Serbia defending to grab a crucial victory for his team.
As we can see here, it was the first time at the tournament a team has recovered from a deficit to win:
It was a performance that said plenty about this Switzerland team too and why they may be one to avoid if they can make it into the knockout stages of the competition.
Not only did they defend well after that early setback, they remained composed in a tense second half. They also boast players like Xhaka and Shaqiri who are capable of moments that can see them through to big results, exactly as they did on Friday.
Serbia now need to beat Brazil in their final group game to ensure they progress into the knockout stages. If they draw, they'd be relying on Costa Rica to spring a big upset against the Swiss.
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