Fabian Schar of Newcastle United and Switzerland were eliminated from the World Cup after a 6-1 defeat to Portugal in the last 16 in Qatar.
A hat-trick from Newcastle summer target Goncalo Ramos plus goals from Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro, and Rafael Leao saw Portugal cruise to a comprehensive knockout win with Manuel Akanji grabbing a consolation for Switzerland in the second half. Schar – who has helped form the Premier League’s best defense this season at Newcastle – was withdrawn at half-time due to shortness of breath with the score at 2-0.
Swiss manager Murat Yakin claimed Schar and two other members of his squad had been hit by illness in the build-up to the match. Silvan Widmer, Nico Elvedi and Schar were the three players impacted though only the United defender featured.
Following the defeat, Yakin said: “Unfortunately, Widmer had a cold. Same for Schar. He was out of breath at half-time.
“Elvedi also had a fever. He was not fully ready. Schar wasn’t himself either.”
He added: “We must accept this defeat and congratulate Portugal. They were the best team this evening. They surprised us.
“We lost a game today but that doesn’t mean we have to be too pessimistic and criticize everything. The team has shown great team spirit.
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“But this defeat hurts. The score and the manner of the loss sadden me.”
It was Schar’s third World Cup and third time being knocked out at the last-16 stage. The 30-year-old defender will now have a short break before returning to Newcastle in time for competitive action to resume later this month.
