Switzerland will be pleasantly surprised to be sitting in a very good position. A goal down against Ecuador, they looked set to exit early on again. Ottmar Hitzfeld though had other ideas. He brought on Admir Mehmedi of Freiburg and Haris Seferovic of Real Sociedad in the second half. Mehmedi scored the equalizer very quickly.
The game was locked at 1-1 going into stoppage time; the history books were about to record the first draw of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, the history books ended up recording a completely different record on the day; Seferovic's goal in stoppage time which handed the Swiss the three points was the latest goal in the history of the group stages of the World Cup.
France did not have to battle back like Switzerland in their match; thanks to Karim Benzema's goals and Wilson Palacios' early red card, the French easily battered Honduras, 3-0. The score could have definitely been higher. A good start is always good for confidence.
However, Didier Deschamps's side is set to be truly tested in their second match. The Swiss, while not always on top of Ecuador, showed they have the talents required to swiftly counterattack. They are also very good at set piece situations. The French were not completely convincing in qualifying. A victory over Switzerland might increase confidence within the camp.
The Swiss though have to change a few things. Their play is based around Xherdan Shaqiri; Shaqiri took one too many safe decisions in the first match. Shaqiri must take risks. Secondly, Hitzfeld has to decide who will start as his striker. Mehmedi and Seferovic both delivered but Seferovic's performances prior to the tournament were definitely not up to the mark. Mario Gavranovic is also waiting on the sidelines. Josip Drmic was handed the chance to start the first one but could not find the back of the net.
Also, just prior to Seferovic's goal, the Swiss were themselves caught on the counter. They were lucky to escape without conceding in that situation. Their defense will have to tighten up to keep Benzema and co out. The tasky will not be easy.
Will France register a second win? Or will Switzerland, as many underdogs has done this tournament, shock the world?
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Switzerland vs France live on Friday, June 20, 2014:
In Canada at 15:00 ET on Mediaset Italia, ICI Radio-Canada En Direct, TSN 1050 Toronto, TEAM 1410 Vancouver, CBC Sports Live Streaming, CBC, TSN 690 Montreal, Univision Canada
In the UK at 20:00 BST on The ITV Player, STV Scotland, BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport Radio, ITV 1 UK, UTV
In the USA at 15:00 ET on ESPN, Univision Deportes En Vivo, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, Univision Deportes USA, WATCH ESPN, SiriusXM FC, Univision USA, AFN Sports, ESPN3 Online-App
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Switzerland-France match page.
