Switzerland end with a win as Portugal boss Scolari rests eight

Strange game this: utterly meaningless as a contest but a game that clearly meant so much to the coaches and even some of the players.

Luiz Felipe Scolari and Kobi Kuhn were a bit like the Two Ronnies here in Basel. A case of 'Well it's a goodbye from me, and it's goodbye from him'.

When, in fact, the fans knew it was pretty much goodbye from both of them. For Kuhn, it was an emotional night.

The end of a seven-year spell in charge of the Swiss national team at the finish of what has been a particularly difficult week.

If carrying the extra burden of being tournament hosts was not enough, the mild-mannered 64-year-old also had to cope with the trauma of his wife being in a coma.

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Spot on: Yakin scores his second

Fortunately, Alice Kuhn came out of the coma on Friday. By then her husband had to inform her that his side had already been eliminated from the tournament. But at least she was awake to see her husband guide the Swiss to their first, if rather irrelevant, win in the history of European Championship Finals.

Kuhn received heartfelt applause from the crowd last night and so did Scolari after confirming earlier in the week that he would indeed be vacating his position at the end of the tournament and moving to Chelsea. 

Even if there was a sense of shock at the timing of the announcement, the Portuguese still appear to appreciate what Big Phil has achieved for their national team.

Naturally, he would like to win this tournament and they have more than a reasonable chance when Scolari is at the helm and Cristiano Ronaldo is on the wing.

Ronaldo did not play last night, of course. Sunday was a day of rest for the majority of Scolari's first team and that can only help them when it comes to facing probable last-eight opponents Germany, who will be fighting for their lives this evening against Austria.

Smiles better: Yakin celebrates Switzerland's win

Scolari applauds the Swiss

For Chelsea, here was evidence that Scolari can rotate with the best. Eight changes, no fewer, to the side that beat the Czechs and even a subtle change of formation.

Last night he went for a 4-3-3 lineup that will be familiar to those who followed Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant at Stamford Bridge. If that concerned Roman Abramovich, supposedly here watching, the Russian must have been impressed by Scolari's passion.

No matter that his side had won the group, the Brazilian was out of his seat, providing guidance and encouragement to players hoping to force their way into his thoughts.

Presumably, a defeat to the Swiss will have convinced Scolari to stick with what he already has.

Still, the Swiss enjoyed themselves. It did not bother them that their side were already out. They were furious when Paulo Ferreira caught Valon Behrami with a particularly nasty challenge in the first half - it earned Ferreira a yellow card and persuaded Scolari to take him off for fear that a member of his new Chelsea squad might be dismissed - and were simply ecstatic when Hakan Yakin scored two second-half goals.

Portugal had gone close to scoring. Pepe saw Pascal Zuberbuhler turn his effort against the bar and Nani drove a shot against a post when the Manchester United winger really should have scored.

But Yakin struck in the 71st minute when he finished off a neatlyworked move with a nice contact and then struck from the penalty spot after Fernando Meira had brought down Tranquillo Barnetta. Afterwards, Scolari blamed himself for not changing all 11 players.

'I should have substituted the 11 players,' he said after using headphones to listen to the translator when he was asked questions in English.

'I made a mistake. But I reasoned like a coach who thinks the squad will play normally, that there'd be no problems. But I should have changed 11, not eight. I made a mistake. I'm responsible for that. I should have thought twice.' Strange answer. Strange game.

SWITZERLAND (4-4-2): Zuberbuhler; Lichtsteiner (Grichting 85min), Muller, Senderos, Magnin; Behrami, Fernandes, Inler, Vonlanthen (Barnetta 61); Yakin (Cabanas 86), Derdiyok. Booked: Yakin, Vonlanthen, Barnetta, Gelson.

PORTUGAL (4-3-3): Ricardo; Miguel, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Ferreira (Ribeiro 41); Meira, Veloso (Moutinho 70), Meireles; Quaresma, Postiga (Almeida 74), Nani. Booked: Ferreira, Ribeiro, Meira, Miguel.

Referee: Konrad Plautz (Aut).