Switzerland arrived in South Africa with an injured skipper and striker in Alex Frei and without much in the way of pedigree, star power, reputation or expectation. But after beating joint-favourites Spain 1-0 in their opening game in Durban – one of the stories of the first week – they sit joint-top of Group H.
"We came here with very few people thinking we had much of a chance," striker Blaise Nkufo told FIFA.com. "But we had a very strong game-plan against Spain, we knew how to play them and we carried out the manager's orders to the letter," added the Congolese-born forward who was not included in the side that fell at the group stage as hosts of UEFA EURO 2008. As the players celebrated their historic win over the European champions, however, the mood turned quickly from raucous to realistic.
Benaglio is right to have his worries, as his Swiss did not escape their contest with La Roja unscathed. Influential centre-back Philippe Senderos limped off with a serious ankle injury after 36 minutes and has been ruled out of the next two games – first against Chile and then Honduras – by the team's medical staff. "It's a huge loss for us," forward Eren Derdiyok told FIFA.com. "It's a cruel thing for a player to get injured so early in the biggest tournament in the world."
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