The FIFA World Cup group stage wrapped up with an exciting but heated encounter as Switzerland beat Serbia 3-2 to book their ticket to the round of 16.
This fixture has been one of the fiercest rivalries in European football over the past few years due to ethnic and political reasons, with Friday's encounter being no different. The first half was a calm affair as both sides scored two goals each but things kicked off in the second half once the Nati went 3-2 up. Two heated brawls sparked on the pitch, one involving members of the Serbian bench and the latter being between Granit Xhaka and the opposition players during the dying minutes.
In both instances, the Arsenal star looked to be at the heart of it all but according to his teammate Manuel Akanji, it was Mitrovic and Co. that were the perpetrators. The Manchester City center-back, who put in another fine display for his country, revealed after the game that the Eagles players had provoked the Swiss all game before tempers boiled over.
The former Dortmund defender even added a sly dig at the Serbians, stating that the likes of Mitrovic, Vlahovic, and Tadic can now go on holiday while the Nati prepare for their knockout stage showdown with Portugal.
"The Serbs wanted to provoke us. They said a few things right from the start and then a few things came back. So I'm very, very happy that we won and they can now go on holiday," Akanji told Goal.
"I stood on the halfway line, ran forward, and tried to calm the players down," the Premier League ace later added.
"I said to my teammates: We're going to the round of 16, we can't get any stupid yellow or red cards. That only weakens us. They have nothing left to lose."
As mentioned earlier, Granit Xhaka was involved in a heated confrontation with a number of Serbian players toward the final few minutes and was subsequently booked. Nonetheless, the Arsenal midfielder captained his nation to victory and was named Man of the Match due to his commanding display.
Murat Yakin's side will get to rest until Tuesday when they lock horns with Cristiano and Co. in the last 16. Given that the Swiss handed Brazil a hard time, Portugal should expect a tough fixture in the upcoming round. The winner of this game will face Morocco or Spain in the quarterfinals.