Swiss hat-trick heralds Xherdan Shaqiri's arrival on world stage
Kosovo-born player has taken time to fire up on pitch, but he rewards fans with superb show
Switzerland have been expecting great things of Xherdan Shaqiri for some time and the impish player finally took his place on the world stage with a superb hat-trick in their 3-0 win over Honduras.
For many Swiss fans it has been a long time coming. The cheeky and instinctive Kosovo-born player, who looks as if he might have learned the game on the streets of South America, made his international debut as an 18-year-old and was still a teenager when he was voted Switzerland's Player of the Year in 2011.
Since then, the 22-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance on the international stage, including a hat-trick in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria, and for his club Bayern Munich, but has not shone on a consistent basis.
It gets on my nerves that more critical things are written about me than the others
A lack of playing time for Bayern this season, coupled with frustrating muscular injuries, had even begun to spark concern that he could become another player of unfulfilled potential.
His first two performances at the World Cup were disappointing and Shaqiri complained about the raised expectations on the eve of Wednesday's game in Manaus.
"It doesn't all depend on me," he said. "It gets on my nerves that more critical things are written about me than the others."
However, in Manaus, Shaqiri gave the performance that everyone had been waiting for, helping to send the Swiss team into the knockout stages as group E runners-up.