GOALS FROM PHILIPPE SENDEROS AND Valon Behrami edged Switzerland closer to a World Cup berth on Saturday, providing a 2-0 win over Turkey in the first leg of their play-off. Senderos, the Arsenal defender, scored shortly before half-time, heading a powerful free kick from Ludovic Magnin past Volkan Demirel, the Turkey goalkeeper. As time was running out, Behrami, the Lazio forward, found the net, four minutes after coming on as a substitute, latching on to a pass from Alex Frei.

“Our top priority was to not concede a goal at home,” Johann Vogel, the Switzerland captain, said as the focus shifted to Wednesday’s second leg in Istanbul.The home team had most of the chances in the first half at the Stade de Suisse, in Berne, but they failed to profit from two early free kicks after fouls by Serkan Balci on Tranquillo Barnetta. Turkey’s first credible effort came in the 36th minute, when Tuncay Sanli, the Fenerbahçe striker, drew a fine save from Pascal Zuberbuhler.

Senderos’s goal followed after Lubos Michel, the referee, awarded a free kick for a foul by Umit Ozat on Philip Degen.The second half took a bad-tempered turn, with Serkan escaping a booking for hacking down Magnin just four minutes in. The Swiss was later the target of another unpunished attack by Okan Buruk. “We knew what to expect,” Magnin said. “It was a tough game.”

Serkan eventually received a yellow card for a 64th-minute foul on Barnetta, and misses Wednesday’s second leg in Istanbul, as does Huseyin. A minute after cracking down on Serkan, Michel booked Streller after the Swiss striker, trying to retain the ball when Ricardo Cabanas’s kick went wide, hit Volkan in the face with his foot as he jumped over the prostrate Turkey goalkeeper.

More worryingly for Switzerland, Magnin was cautioned for a 68th-minute foul on Tumer Metin and is out of the second leg through suspension. “The rules are a bit stupid, but I have to accept them,” he said.

Switzerland: P Zuberbuhler, L Magnin, P Muller, P Senderos, P Degen, J Vogel, T Barnetta (sub: V Behrami, 83min), R Cabanas, D Gygax, M Streller (sub: J Vonlanthen, 77), A Frei. Substitutes not used: F Colorti, S Grichting, B Huggel, C Spycher, M Lustrinelli.

Booked: Streller, Magnin

Turkey: Volkan Demirel, Alpay Özalan, Umit Ozat (Halil Altintop, 77), Ibrahim Toraman, Serkan Balci, Huseyin Cimsir, Selcuk Sahin, Tumer Metin, Kahveci Nihat (sub: Okan Buruk, 46), Hakan Sükür, Tuncay Sanli (sub: Ergün Penbe, 83). Substitutes not used: Rüstü Recber, Tolga Seyhan, Fatih Tekke, Serhat Akin.

Booked: Huseyin, Serkan

Referee: L Michel (Slovakia)

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