World Cup: Ottmar Hitzfeld says Switzerland have 'nothing to lose' v Argentina

Ottmar Hitzfeld says Switzerland will relish their World Cup duel against Argentina as they have "nothing left to lose".

The Swiss beat Honduras 3-0 in Manaus on Wednesday night as Xherdan Shaqiri's hat-trick confirmed them as Group E runners-up.

Veteran coach Ottmar Hitzfeld believes his team can now look ahead without fear after the win secured a challenging last-16 tie against Argentina in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.

Having beaten Ecuador 2-1 in their tournament opener, Switzerland were thrashed by France but recovered impressively to ease to victory at the Arena Amazonia.

"As a coach, after losing 5-2 to France you know it's important to stay calm," Hitzfeld told FIFA's official website.

Now we'll have to see what happens. We're in the Round of 16 so anything is possible

"I made the most of our strengths. Xherdan Shaqiri is a player who can make the difference because he can decide games on his own.

"Even against France, he played very well. I put him as a number 10 today and that paid off.

"We've got nothing left to lose so things can only get better for us."

Shaqiri, who scored two goals in the first half before adding a third with 19 minutes to play, was delighted with his contribution and insists anything can happen in the knock-out stages.

"It is definitely a big achievement to score three goals at a World Cup," Shaqiri said.

"The important thing is that we stuck together as a team. Now we'll have to see what happens. We're in the Round of 16 so anything is possible."