World Cup 2018, Serbia 1-2 Switzerland: Best and Worst players from the game

Switzerland handed Serbia a huge blow in their pursuit of qualification from Group E after goals from Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri helped the Swiss outshine their counterparts on the night. Vladimir Petkovic's men showcased unreal fighting spirit throughout the game and became the first team to come back from a goal behind to register a win in this year's tournament.

Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring for Serbia as early as in the 5th minute after he got on the end of a delightful cross from Dusan Tadic to plant his header past Yan Sommer in goal. However, Serbia failed to capitalize on the early goal advantage and slowly allowed Switzerland enough time on the ball to settle down and script their comeback.

Xhaka's unstoppable strike in the 52nd minute pulled things back for Switzerland and the game opened up in compelling fashion, heading into the final 30 minutes. After some engaging football between the two sides at both ends of the pitch, Switzerland were finally able to clinch all three points through Shaqiri's 90th-minute winner that helped them go level on points with Brazil in Group E.

The result now means that Serbia will have to do it the hard way against Brazil in their final group game to secure qualification to the next round while avoiding defeat against Costa Rica should be enough to help Switzerland go through. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the best and worst performers from the game:

#5 Best - Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia)

It only took Aleksandar Mitrovic 5 minutes to break the deadlock at the Kaliningrad Stadium when he leapt highest to head home following an inviting delivery from Dusan Tadic out on the right flank. The Newcastle United striker, who spent last season on loan at Fulham in the Championship, has now scored 15 goals in his last 18 appearances for Switzerland and asked a number of questions to the Swiss defenders early on.

Mitrovic was almost unbeatable in the air and also conjured a few efforts on goal that could have ended up in the back of the net on any other night. The 23-year-old was devoid of any sort of proper service in the second half and faded off eventually as Switzerland slowly took control of the proceedings.

#4 Worst - Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Serbia)

Milinkovic-Savic struggled to find his rhythm on the night

All eyes were on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as he stepped out at the Kaliningrad Arena to face Switzerland on the back of an inspiring performance for Serbia against Costa Rica in their opening game of the competition. The Lazio midfielder has been attracting a lot of interest from some of the top clubs in Europe including the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United, to name a few, due to his performances at club level this season.

Nevertheless, he struggled to find his rhythm on the night and was provided with very little time on the ball due to the constant pressure forced on him by Valon Behrami and Xhaka, who put in a sublime shift at the middle of the park for Petkovic's side on the night.

Milinkovic-Savic was also one among the four Serbian players booked on the night and the 23-year-old flattered to deceive on his potential 'big money move' audition to at least one of Europe's heavyweight clubs, who were keeping tabs on him for quite a while now.

#3 Best - Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)

The Arsenal midfielder absolutely dominated proceedings at the middle of the park on the night and dispatched a thunderous left-footed strike that gave no chance whatsoever to Vladimir Stojkovic in goal for Serbia, to restore parity between the two sides in the 52nd minute. Xhaka worked relentlessly in midfield for his side and pulled the strings from a deeper role while also managing to keep Milinkovic-Savic quiet for prolonged periods in the game.

The 25-year-old recycled possession for his side on a regular basis and grew into his role in the second half when Switzerland were at their best spell during the game. However, the highlight of his performance was certainly that stunning strike he conjured when he latched on to a rebound from outside the penalty area and hit it the first time to leave Stojkovic as a mere spectator between the sticks who watched the ball skyrocket into the back of the net.

#2 Worst - Haris Seferovic (Switzerland)

Haris Seferovic was quite easily the most disappointing player on the pitch and enjoyed very little involvement before he was rightfully taken off after the end of the first half. The 26-year-old who represents Benfica at club level, was a mere spectator upfront for Petkovic's side and could not act as the focal point of attack for his team while also struggling to bring his teammates into the game.

If his performance against Brazil was bang on average then this outing was nothing short of abysmal for the striker, who lacked the intent and sharpness on the night. However, Switzerland's lack of options upfront was clearly evident when he was replaced by Mario Gavranovic, who also struggled to make an impact after failing to hit the target from a number of inviting chances.

#1 Best - Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland)

Shaqiri put the game to bed in stoppage time

It had to be him on the night and for obvious reasons, the diminutive winger born in Kosovo pulled the rabbit out of the hat by scoring the winner in the 90th minute to put a serious dent on Serbia's hopes of qualifying to the knockout stages of the World Cup. Shaqiri was a constant thorn down the flanks for Serbia and looked dangerous every time he got on the ball.

The 26-year-old had also hit the bar with an audacious attempt from far out wide just shortly after Xhaka had scored to signal his intentions and Serbia should have taken note then and there. However, the turning point came in the 90th minute when Shaqiri collected the ball just in front of the halfway line, following a hasty clearance from a Serbian corner, and dribbled past Dusko Tosic by beating him for sheer pace before finally tucking the ball away to send the fans and his teammates to a delirium of emotions.

Edited by Kishan Prasad