Spain seen as a powerful giant as European champion, but in fact the Swiss still could managed to win in the opening match 1-0. But they rose so quickly to defeat Honduras and Chile as well as becoming a group leader and also avoiding Brazil in round 16.
Chile created its own history when they won for the first time since the World Cup hosted in 1962. The success of Chile to the second round is also accompanied four more representative of South America, and this means that all the representatives of South America is successful in the group stage.
Chile first victory
Chile ended a wait of almost half a century since it hosted the 1962 tournament for a victory on the world stage by defeating Honduras 1-0 in their opening Group H game in Nelspruit. In a free-flowing match Wednesday, Chile won the opening game after Beausejour tapped in a cross from Mauricio Isla in the 34th minute.
If there was a touch of fortune about Jean Beausejour's 34th-minute winner – Roger Espinoza's attempted clearance striking him as the pair slid in to meet a cross – it was the least Chile deserved for an impressive attacking display that had Honduras on the ropes for much of the 90 minutes at the Mbombela Stadium.
Honduras struggled to create meaningful chances and may now fear for their chances in a group that also features Spain and Switzerland.
Spain shocked by swiss
Switzerland pulled off the biggest shock so far at this FIFA World Cup™ as Gelson Fernandes's strike against the run of play earned them a 1-0 win against European champions and joint-tournament favourites Spain. Vicente del Bosque's team predictably dominated possession but were hit on the break seven minutes into the second half as the Swiss recorded a first win over Spain in 19 attempts.
Swiss shocked erupean champions in 52nd minute after Derdiyok's pass was cleared by Casillas but the ball fell to Fernandes, whose first shot was stopped by Pique but he made no mistake at firing home from close range at the second attempt.
Despite the shocked result Spain also exhausted with created more chances on goal by 25 without scoring than any other team in this World Cup.
Gonzalez takes two victories for chile
Mark Gonzalez's 75th-minute goal put Chile on the brink of the second round with a 1-0 win over Switzerland. A fussy referee produced eight yellow cards and sent off Valron Behrami for an elbow on Arturo Vidal.
The South Africa-born player headed in Esteban Paredes's cross in the 75th minute to break the Swiss back-line for the first time in over 550 minutes of FIFA World Cup™ football, a record they had claimed just minutes before. Chile now sit atop the table with six points from two wins, while Switzerland remain on three points after failing to build on their upset of Spain in their opener.
The games also saw referee - Khalil Al Ghamdi of Saudi Arabia - prove far too card-happy as he produced a succession of bemusing bookings. Valon Behrami was also hard done by when being dismissed for fending off Arturo Vidal. However, some mitigation comes in the fact that certain players seem so committed to embarrassing play-acting. Steve von Bergen joins Ivory Coast's Kader Keita in this club of shame after an over-the-top reaction in the second half.
Villa gives hope for Spain
David Villa almost had a perfect night as a goal in each half from the new Barcelona recruit helped Spain get their World Cup campaign back on track.
Villa appeared to be in supremely confident mood and it was no surprise to see Barcelona's recent signing open the scoring with what is set to be one of the individual goals of the tournament. Cutting in from the left, Villa dissected a path through two defenders when there appeared to be none, before rounding a third attempt at a tackle and unleashing a shot into the roof of the net.
The second half started disastrously for the Hondurans with Villa doubling the advantage just six minutes after the restart, his shot from 20 metres taking a wicked deflection off the knee of Osman Chavez and looping over the outstretched hand of stranded goalkeeper Noel Valladares. Just past the hour, Emilio Izaguirre's foul on Navas in the penalty area gave Villa a golden opportunity to record a hat-trick but he pushed his spot-kick wide and in the process became the first Spain player to miss a penalty at the FIFA World Cup.
Spain's victory lifted them alongside Switzerland with a win apiece, though still three points off Group H pacesetters Chile, their final opponents on Friday. Honduras, meanwhile, now need to win their last match against Switzerland, and hope Chile do them a favour against Spain, to have any hope of progressing.
Swiss lost momentum
Bloemfontein proved to be the graveyard for Switzerland's FIFA World Cup™ hopes as their bid to reach the last 16 ended in a frustrating goalless draw with Honduras. While the Swiss would rue their impotence in front of goal, the Central Americans were guilty of missing a host of gilt-edged chances on the night, as the curtain came down on their South African experience.
Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld knew if his side achieved a two-goal win in this Group H match then they would progress to the second round, but they were toothless and had to settle for a point against Honduras, who are also going home after failing to find the target in the tournament.
All four sides in Group H could conceivably still have qualified heading into this clash at the Free State Stadium, although Honduras, still without a win or a goal, had a huge mountain to climb. In simple terms, both sides needed a win. A thoroughly uninspiring opening spell was, thankfully, brought to an end in the tenth minute when Switzerland, who entered the match still with a chance of finishing top of their group, began to take the initiative. A neat one-two between Gokhan Inler and Tranquillo Barnetta sliced open the Honduras defence but the latter could only drag his shot wide of the target.
Spain comeback with top spot
European champions Spain set up a mouthwatering last-16 showdown with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal after seeing off ten-man Chile in a hard-fought encounter in Pretoria.
Goals from David Villa and Andres Iniesta, coupled with Marco Estrada's dismissal, appeared to give the European champions an impregnable lead at the break, but Rodrigo Millar's deflected strike got the South Americans back into a game they were desperate to win to guarantee a place in the knockout phase. As it transpired, Switzerland's inability to beat Honduras ensured Marcelo Bielsa's side advanced – something the Chilean players discovered, to their immense relief, after their faces had been pictures of desperation upon the final whistle in Tshwane/Pretoria.
David Villa put Spain ahead with a long-range shot into an empty net after Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had raced out of his area, and Andres Iniesta doubled his side's lead towards the end of the first half.
Marcelo Bielsa's side pulled a goal back at the start of the second period through substitute Rodrigo Millar's deflected effort, but it was not enough to remain on top of the group and they will now need to overcome the Brazilians if they are to continue their World Cup adventure.
There were looks of relief and delight from the Spaniards upon the final whistle. There were ones of uncertainty from the Chileans. That was until they heard the news: they were through to the Round of 16.
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