Late Winner Boosts Swiss Hopes For Last 16

Switzerland beat Serbia 2-1 Friday in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Group E match as a late goal increased their chances of reaching the round of 16.



Serbia took an early lead when their forward Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a header in the fifth minute.



But minutes into the second half, Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka equalized with a long- range shot.



Near the end of the match, Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri finished off a counterattack with a strike past Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic that sealed the victory for the Swiss.



With Friday's victory, Brazil and Switzerland have four points each in Group E while Serbia are one point behind them before the final games. The other Group E team, Costa Rica, are in last place with no points.



Earlier Friday, Brazil beat Costa Rica 2-0 in their Group E match at Saint Petersburg Stadium.



Brazil's Philippe Coutinho was the hero for his team as he scored in injury time to give Brazil their first win in the tournament.



Neymar added a second goal during a counterattack in the 97th minute to secure the win.



With their defeat, Costa Rica were eliminated from the World Cup.



In the other match of the day, Nigeria beat Iceland 2-0 in a Group D match in Volgograd.



Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa scored both goals for his country.



Group D leaders Croatia have six points, which guarantees them a spot in the last 16. Nigeria are in second spot with three points.



Iceland are in third spot as the Nordic team has one point and South American football giants Argentina are in last place with one point before the final games in the group. -