Switzerland striker Alexander Frei is proud to be part of a team that has reached the last 16 of the World Cup finals.

The Swiss finished top of Group G after beating South Korea 2-0 on Friday and they play Ukraine in the first knockout rounf after keeping three clean sheets in their three group matches.

"I'm proud to be part of one of the best 16 teams in the world," the 26-year-old Rennes forward said.

"The Swiss fans can be proud as well. As a team we can show the world what ambition we have and what we can do.

"We're not little Switzerland any more. There have been times when the Swiss national team hasn't been that good. It's very important that the national team leads the nation's teams and we're taking the first steps in doing that.

"We are proud of the way we got here, proud of the fact we are unbeaten and first in the group. The goal we had was to reach the round of 16, from now on we need luck."