Switzerland have a chance to put right their dramatic failure of 2010 on Wednesday when they again face bogey team Honduras for a place in the World Cup knock-outs.
The situation is eerily similar to four years ago, when the Swiss were in contention for the last 16 but missed out when they drew their last group game with the Central American minnows.
This time around, having scaled the Fifa rankings to a dizzying sixth place, expectations are high for Ottmar Hitzfeld’s respected side.
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But confidence was hit in last week’s 5-2 rout by France. Meanwhile, Honduras broke a 32-year World Cup finals goal drought in their 2-1 loss to Ecuador.
Midfielder Blerim Dzemaili said Switzerland would be taking nothing for granted when they face the Central Americans in steamy Manaus.
“Everyone can nurture big dreams, but first we have to do a little homework and that is to beat Honduras,” said the 28-year-old.
“We have seen that the big teams just relying on individuals are quickly eliminated, which little Switzerland can’t afford.
“We have to give our all together, like we did against France, but we also had some bad luck after they scored their early goals.”
Switzerland needed a late winner to beat Ecuador 2-1 in their first game, and then they were swamped by France before responding with two goals of their own in the final minutes.
Switzerland currently trail Ecuador on goal difference. If France beat Ecuador, Switzerland need only a point from Honduras to qualify.
But if Ecuador win Switzerland must better their rivals result to advance.
Honduras, who have not made it out of the group stage in two previous attempts, still have a slim chance of qualifying despite their 3-0 and 2-1 defeats to France and Ecuador respectively.
Los Catrachos will need an avalanche of goals against the Swiss, and hope that France beat Ecuador in Group E’s other final game, to make it to the knock-outs.
But they have been buoyed by lifting their goal “curse” courtesy of striker Carlos Costly - who wasn’t even born when Honduras last scored at a World Cup.
Their previous goal was in 1982, when Costly’s father Allan represented Honduras and Eduardo Laing netted in a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland.
“I was so happy when I scored that goal, because 32 years is a long time and a difficult barrier to overcome,” Costly, 31, told the Fifa website.
“That myth, that curse which has been hanging over us for so long, has been laid to rest now.”
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Financial considerations before buying a property
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The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SPECS
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
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ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
