Switzerland 3, Serbia 2

Doha, Qatar: 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, that put his team into the round of 16 for the third World Cup 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.

Uruguay 2, Ghana 1

Al Wakrah, Qatar: 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.

The Uruguay captain sat in the dugout after being substituted as his team beat Ghana but was still eliminated from the tournament

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.

Cameroon 1, Brazil 0

Lusail, Qatar: Vincent Aboubakar’s powerful header was historic for Cameroon and Africa.

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.

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

South Korea 2, Porugal 1

Al Rayyan, Qatar: 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 Portugal 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, like captain Son Heung-min in the huddle.