Goals: Switzerland—Shaqiri 6’, 31’, 71’
Recap: Honduras’ nightmarish World Cup campaign finally came to an end on Wednesday, seeing the team fall for a third consecutive time.
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Switzerland’s 3-0 victory was kick started in the sixth minute after a bombastic strike from Xherdan Shaqiri beat goalkeeper Noel Valladares. He would a secure a brace 25 minutes later, polishing off a delicious through ball from Josip Drmic. His one-man performance was capped off by a hat-trick in the 71st minute.
The victory sees Switzerland through to the Round of 16.
Key Moment: Honduras had little to offer Switzerland before the opening whistle. The team had less to offer after the start. The match was won just six minutes in thanks to Shaqiri's strike.
Man of the Match: A hat-trick. You won’t have to look further than Shaqiri to find the answer.
Lesson Learned: Honduras is proof CONCACAF doesn’t merit additional World Cup berths. Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States have all shown well in Brazil, but Honduras showed the world the region lacks depth. CONCACAF’s made major strides in the last two decades, but not enough to reward someone like Panama an allocated spot. That time will come, but it’s not today.
Up Next: Honduras returns home to prepare for the 2014 UNCAF tournament, while Switzerland travels to Sao Paulo to face Argentina on July 1.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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