Switzerland 3, Serbia 2

Xherdan Shaqiri took off as soon as the ball hit the back of the net.

It was no surprise where he was headed after scoring the first goal in Switzerland's win over Serbia on Friday, a result that put his team into the round of 16 at the World Cup for the third tournament in a row.

Born in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, Shaqiri ran straight to the opposing fans to celebrate — putting his finger to his lips after having been previously taunted by that section of the crowd.

The game was only 20 minutes old and the tension was palpable.

"You can hear by listening to my voice, it's hoarse, that it was a game with a lot of emotions," Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka said. "It is part of football. The game was fair enough. We wanted to focus on football. We did this and we took this first step and are now into the round of 16. We are proud."

Most importantly for Switzerland, it went through to the knockout round after finishing second in Group G and will next face Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday at Lusail Stadium.

But the tensions surrounding this particular match-up always threatened to explode.

The countries met in the group stage at the last World Cup in 2018, resulting in a Swiss victory, but Shaqiri and Xhaka were fined for celebrating with hand gestures representing Albania's national eagle symbol.

Xhaka and Shaqiri have Albanian heritage linked to Kosovo.

Serbia was also fined and warned by FIFA about the "display of discriminatory banners and messages" by supporters.

An announcement was made at Stadium 974 during Friday's match that appeared to be in relation to chanting from the Serbian fans. FIFA wouldn't say what the announcement was after the match.

"I didn't hear it. Honestly, I didn't hear," Serbia coach Dragan Stojković said of the chants. "I was focusing on the game."

There was enough happening on the field, including Remo Freuler's winning goal just after halftime and several flare ups between the players.

"First of all, I want to enjoy the moment," Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said after being asked about the behavior of his players during a ill-tempered match. "It cost us a lot of energy and emotions. We went through a lot."

A number of Serbia's substitutes burst onto the field in the second half when Aleksandar Mitrovic had a penalty appeal denied. Xhaka was at the heart of a heated melee late in the game.

"Sometimes, you know, tensions come and maybe bad words create uncomfortable behavior," Stojković said. "But it is nothing special. It is normal for this kind of game."

Shaqiri scored the opening goal and then played a key role in the winner. He clipped a ball into the penalty box for Ruben Vargas, who back-heeled to Freuler for the goal.

Despite those goals, Shaqiri wasn't happy to be substituted in the 69th minute. Before taking his seat on the bench, he whacked the side of the dugout with his elbow.

"No one likes to be substituted," Yakin said. "Part of my responsibility is to protect the players. He scored a goal and had a great assist. He was very present and supported his teammates and made a difference."

Goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic had put Serbia in the lead in the first half, but Breel Embolo evened the score just before halftime.

Switzerland, which needed a win to guarantee itself a place in the knockout round after beating Cameroon and losing to Brazil in its opening two games, reached the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and again four years later in Russia. They lost 1-0 in both matches, to Argentina and Sweden, respectively.

Against Portugal, the Swiss will be looking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since hosting the competition in 1954.

Cameroon 1, Brazil 0

Vincent Aboubakar's powerful header was historic for Cameroon and Africa at the World Cup.

The stoppage-time goal didn't help Cameroon reach the round of 16 despite the team's win over Brazil's reserves. But it handed the five-time champions their first group-stage loss in 24 years, and gave Africa its first win against the Seleçao at the tournament.

Aboubakar was sent off after a second booking for taking off his shirt during his celebration, leading him to miss the final minutes of his team's big victory.

"I didn't even realize that this was such a historic victory," Cameroon coach Rigobert Song said. "We are one of the African countries that played the most World Cups, and now we've beaten Brazil."

Brazil had won its previous seven matches against African opponents at the World Cup.

"We can be proud of what we've done tonight," Cameroon goalkeeper Devis Epassy said. "We worked very hard. Unfortunately, though, we didn't qualify, and that's why are are not too happy."

Brazil, which had already reached the knockout stage after victories over Serbia and Switzerland, still finished first in Group H. It ended with six points, the same as Switzerland, but the South Americans had a better goal difference. Cameroon ended with four points and Serbia had one.

"The loss doesn't eliminate us, but we have to learn from it," midfielder Fabinho said. "The objective was to finish first in the group and we did."

Brazil will face South Korea in the round of 16, while the Swiss will play against Portugal.

It was the 11th straight time Brazil won its World Cup group. It had won 17 straight group games since a 2-1 loss to Norway in 1998 in France. It had lost only one of its last 29 group matches at the tournament.

Cameroon hadn't won any of its last nine World Cup matches, with eight losses and a draw — against Ireland in its opening game at the 2002 tournament.

Coach Tite rested nearly all of his regular starters and made 10 changes from the win against Switzerland on Monday.

Brazil was still without the injured Neymar, but the star forward was at Lusail Stadium to watch the match with his teammates.

Both teams created some good scoring chances, but couldn't capitalize on them until Aboubakar's winner off a right-flank cross by Jerome Ngom Mbekeli, who had entered the match in the 86th minute.

The Cameroon captain threw his shirt to the ground near the corner flag and waited for his teammates as they rushed toward him. He then left the field after the referee showed him the red card.

Brazil finally conceded an attempt on target after not having done so in the first two matches.

Cameroon, which opened with a 1-0 loss to Switzerland, had endured a small crisis after its 3-3 draw with Serbia, with goalkeeper Andre Onana being sent home for disciplinary reasons after a dispute with coach Song.

South Korea 2, Portugal 1

South Korea's players formed a circle in the center of the field and trained their eyes on several cell phones showing a nearby match that would decide their future at the World Cup.

The South Koreans had just about done their job, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates on a stoppage-time goal.

Now came an agonizing wait. To advance to the round of 16, they just needed Uruguay to not score a goal against Ghana in the other group match that still had at least six minutes to play.

Thousands of red-and-white-clad South Korea fans had whipped out their phones, too. Some prayed. Others were crying, just like captain Son Heung-min in the players' huddle.

They could soon really party.

South Korea advanced on the tiebreaker of goals scored, pushing Uruguay into third place Friday in one of the wildest finishes to a group in the tournament's 92-year history.

"It really feels like a miracle," South Korea striker Cho Gue-sung said.

South Korea and Uruguay finished with four points and both had a goal difference of zero, but the Asian team scored four goals compared to Uruguay's two. The reward is a match against Brazil in the last 16.

"We never gave up," Son said through tears. "Our players were trying to run an extra step more, sacrificing themselves, and that allowed us to achieve a good result."

When the Uruguay-Ghana game finished 2-0 and South Korea was sure of its second-place finish, the players on the field erupted in joy, hugging each other and squirting water in the air.

Then they got in a line and sprinted toward their fans behind one of the goals at Education City Stadium before performing a dive in front of them.

South Korea was tied at 1-1 and heading out of the tournament when a Portugal corner got cleared and Son led a length-of-the-field breakaway in the first minute of added time. He got crowded out by Portugal's retreating defenders but had the presence of mind to slip a pass through an opponent's legs and into the path of Hwang Hee-chan, who placed a low finish past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Hwang, who came on as a substitute for his first match at this year's World Cup, removed his jersey and flexed his muscles. Some of his teammates fell to the ground. But there were still five minutes more of stoppage time to play.

When the final whistle blew, Son — who was sobbing with joy — and other teammates dropped dramatically to the turf, banging their fists. South Korea coach Paulo Bento, who is Portuguese, waited patiently in the tunnel while the Uruguay-Ghana match played to a finish. He couldn't be with his players because he was serving a suspension for a red card in South Korea's last game.

Hwang didn't play in South Korea's first two games because of a left hamstring injury but entered as a 66th-minute substitute against Portugal. He said the coaching staff told him: "You're going to create something."

Portugal had already advanced after two games and won the group, assuring Ronaldo of at least one more match in Qatar as he seeks his first World Cup title in likely his final attempt. The team will play Switzerland next.

Ricardo Horta, starting up front alongside Ronaldo, had given Portugal the lead in the fifth minute when he converted a first-time shot off a cross from right back Diogo Dalot.

South Korea equalized with a helping hand from Ronaldo after an outswinging corner struck his back as he turned away from the ball. Kim Young-gwon swept the loose ball into the net in the 27th minute to start a comeback that had the most dramatic of endings.

"What we achieved here is special," Son said, "and I am so proud of our players.

"Making the last 16 was our goal. We did our best every game, but you just can't predict what happens in football."

Uruguay 2, Ghana 0

Luis Suarez couldn't watch as his Uruguay team slid toward a painful World Cup exit. He put his hands in front of his eyes, then pulled his shirt over his head. When his face emerged again, there were tears.

The Uruguay captain sat in the dugout after being substituted as his team beat Ghana but was still eliminated from the tournament by a stoppage-time goal in another game.

A late goal by Hwang Hee-chan secured South Korea a last-gasp 2-1 win over Portugal and a place in the last 16 from Group H at Uruguay's expense because it scored more goals. After the most dramatic end to the group, Portugal advanced as group winner and South Korea clinched second.

Ghana, which came into the last set of games in second place, was also eliminated.

"It is sadness and disappointment that we feel," said Suarez, who was playing in his last World Cup. "I was lucky enough to play my fourth World Cup, and I was thinking about my 4-year-old son, who is leaving with the image of sadness. It's difficult, but it's up to me to face the situation."

When Suarez left in the 66th minute of the game, Uruguay was in a position to advance to the knockout stage for a fourth straight World Cup. He had played key roles in both Uruguay goals by Giorgian De Arrascaeta, which came after Ghana captain Andre Ayew missed a 21st-minute penalty.

A shot by Suarez led to De Arrascaeta's opener in the 26th minute. Suarez then set up the second with a clever pass that De Arrascaeta volleyed in six minutes later.

By the time the final whistle blew, Uruguay's 2-0 lead still stood but the 35-year-old Suarez's World Cup career was over.

The realization that it might be heading that way came for Suarez when a screen at the stadium flashed up news of South Korea's late goal against Portugal. Before that, Suarez was smiling in the dugout.

Uruguay desperately chased another goal through eight minutes of stoppage time. One goal would have been enough to advance on goal difference.

Substitute Maximiliano Gomez hit a shot that Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi saved by diving to his right in the final minutes. Sebastian Coates missed a shot just wide. Uruguay also had two claims for a late penalty turned down. Several Uruguayan players angrily confronted the referee after the match as they were headed off the field.

"They broke their backs. They gave their best," Uruguay coach Diego Alonso said.

At the end, the Ghana fans at Al Janoub Stadium chanted "Korea, Korea, Korea" and celebrated Uruguay's exit, testament to the bitter resentment they still feel towards Suarez and the rest of the national team for one of the most contentious games in World Cup history.

Suarez was responsible for Ghana's World Cup elimination in the quarterfinals 12 years ago. Then, his deliberate handball on the goal line denied Ghana a certain goal at the very end of extra time.

Suarez was sent off but celebrated wildly on the sidelines when Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty. Uruguay went on to win in a shootout.

That 2010 game loomed over this rematch, stoked by Suarez's refusal to apologize for his handball when asked to do so on the eve of the game in Qatar by a Ghanaian journalist, who said the player was now known as "el diablo" — a devil — in Ghana.

Ghana coach Otto Addo said the game wasn't about revenge for 2010.

"What hurts the most is we are out," Addo said. "It doesn't matter who it was."

But that sentiment was not shared by the majority of Ghanaians in the crowd, who booed Suarez every chance they got. One held up a sign before kickoff that read: "Revenge 4 2010."

The same sign was held up again at the end as Suarez trudged off the field crying.