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Swiss draw against Ukraine in friendly

Switzerland captain Alex Frei silenced his home critics by scoring twice on Wednesday in Geneva in the Swiss side’s 2:2 draw in a friendly against Ukraine.

Frei has been a recent target for abuse by Swiss fans, but scored with a 40th-minute free kick and from close range in the 62nd.

He extended his national scoring record to 42 in likely his last international at home. The FC Basel forward cited the fans’ attitude toward him this month when announcing he will concentrate on club football after Switzerland’s next three away matches.

Ukraine fought back each time through a fluke deflection off Oleksandr Aliyev in the 48th, then Yvgenii Konoplianka’s spectacular 75th-minute strike from distance.

Ukraine qualifiy automatically for Euro 2012 as co-host with Poland.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR