Swiss media react to Granit Xhaka display in World Cup loss to Portugal

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Granit Xhaka has been given some credit by Swiss outlet 20 Minuten after Switzerland’s World Cup humiliation at the hands of Portugal on Tuesday, with the Arsenal midfielder praised for not giving up.

The Swiss endured a miserable night in Qatar, suffering a 6-1 loss against the Euro 2016 winners.

Portugal were absolutely ruthless. Goncalo Ramos bagged a stunning hat-trick as the decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench was completely vindicated.

Granit Xhaka given credit after Switzerland display

It was a real shame for Switzerland, who were extremely impressive in the group-stages, beating Cameroon and Serbia. And they only lost 1-0 to Brazil.

Unfortunately, Tuesday proved to be one hurdle too many. But it seems that Xhaka was picked out as one player who could hold his head up high.

Whoscored shows that he won two tackles, more than any other Switzerland player. And no player on either side completed more passes than the 30-year-old.

And actually, 20 Minuten have been fairly positive in their assessment of his display. They gave his performance a 4/6 rating. And they praised the Gunners star for not quitting.

“Even when he was very behind, he kept his head up, did not give up and tried to continue playing. The captain once again showed leader qualities,” they wrote.

For Arsenal fans, there is an upside to Switzerland being knocked out. The defeat means that Xhaka will likely be back sooner for Mikel Arteta’s side. And you would imagine that he would not be the kind of player to want more time away.

Of course, the Gunners have suffered a significant blow with Gabriel Jesus undergoing surgery.

So Arteta will be delighted if all of the other key men come back from the tournament unscathed as they look to pick up where they left off in the Premier League.