Swiss turn to Shaqiri to prove his worth on the world stage

A frustrated talent at club level, Xherdan Shaqiri tends to save his best for the big international stage with Switzerland and is putting himself in the shop window at the World Cup.

Relegated from the Premier League with Stoke City this season, Shaqiri's sprint from halfway and finish in the final minute to beat Serbia and fire the Swiss into a last-16 meeting with Sweden was a reminder of what he is capable of at his best.

However, the impact of that goal, his fourth at a World Cup after netting a hat-trick against Honduras four years ago, was largely lost in the furore caused by his celebration.

Kosovo-born Shaqiri and team-mate Granit Xhaka made a double eagle gesture with their hands in a depiction of the Albanian flag in a gesture that enraged Serbia, which refuses to recognise Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Shaqiri also wore the Kosovan flag on one of his boots, but escaped with a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (USD 10,100) when he could have been handed a two-game ban by FIFA and had his World Cup ended early.

After that reprieve, Switzerland will now turn to the diminutive stocky winger to make the difference against a Sweden side that topped Group G to help send reigning champions Germany home early.

Shaqiri's goals tend to be spectacular. At this stage of Euro 2016 he produced an acrobatic bicycle kick against Poland that was rated one of the goals of the tournament.

That strike ultimately counted for little as Switzerland bowed out on penalties, and so far this highly promising Swiss generation have hit a glass ceiling at the last 16 of major tournaments.

- Golden chance -
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