Xherdan Shaqiri joins the elite group of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

31-year-old Shaqiri opened the scoring for the Swiss in a 3-2 win over Serbia to secure a place in the round of 16.

Shaqiri put Switzerland ahead on 20 minutes when his low shot was deflected in by Strahinja Pavlovic.

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Kosovo-born Shaqiri, who declared his independence from Serbia in 2008, ran straight to opposing fans in celebration, putting a finger to his lips after being jeered earlier by that part of the crowd.

Shaqiri scored the opening goal and then played a key role in the winning goal. He threw a ball into the box for Ruben Vargas, who hit Freuler with the hoe.

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Despite those goals, Shaqiri was not happy about being substituted in the 69th minute. Before sitting down on the bench, he nudged the side of the bench.

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The two nations met in the group stage of the last World Cup in 2018, with Switzerland winning, but Shaqiri and Xhaka were fined for celebrating with hand gestures depicting the Albanian national eagle symbol.

Xhaka and Shaqiri have Albanian heritage linked to Kosovo.

Serbia was also fined and cautioned by FIFA for “displaying discriminatory banners and messages” from fans.

During Friday’s match, an announcement was made at Stadion 974 which appears to be related to the chants of Serbian fans. FIFA declined to say what the announcement was after the match.

Against Portugal, the Swiss are looking to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since the competition was hosted in 1954.