Agency :
Switzerland beat Ecuador 2-1 Sunday in a World Cup Group E match on a goal in stoppage time.
Swiss forward Haris Seferovic, who plays for Real Sociedad in the Spanish League, scored the winning goal in minute 93.
Enner Valencia had put Ecuador on the scoreboard in minute 22, but Switzerland tied it in minute 48 on a goal by Admir Mehmedi.
The game at Brasilia’s Mane Garrincha Stadium looked like it was going to end in a tie, but Seferovic, who took the field in minute 75, clobbered Ecuador just when it appeared that the referee was going to blow the game dead.
Coach Reinaldo Rueda’s Ecuadorian squad had played solidly up until that point, showing good touch, spirit and speed even if its tactics appeared a bit weak.
The methodical Swiss team was able to stick to its strategy, which was crafted by coach Ottmar Hitzfeld to clog up the center of the field and defend against Ecuador’s passes.
About 200 people participated in a protest outside the stadium to draw attention to the huge spending by Brazil’s government on the 2014 World Cup.
The protesters spent about two hours in the streets near the game’s venue, but police barricades kept them from advancing on Mane Garrincha Stadium.
The demonstrators waved signs in Portuguese, English and Spanish against the World Cup and FIFA, and calling for more investment in education and health care.
