Victory After a Humiliating Defeat

LIVE: Dzeko in Bosnia’s Starting Lineup Against Switzerland

Two-goal scorer for Switzerland: Freiburg player Johan Manzambi(Bild: EPA/PETER KLAUNZER)

Qatar-strophe? A rocky start to the 23rd World Cup in history? All forgotten! The Swiss, whose confidence had been shattered following the 1-1 embarrassment against underdog Qatar in their Group B opener on home soil, got back on the winning track with today’s 4-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina—and are now all but certain to be back on course for the knockout-phase.

Thanks to goals by Breel Embolo and Stephan Aebischer in front of about 70,000 spectators at Los Angeles Stadium, the Swiss now have four points—and it would take a miracle for them to miss the round of 16...

(Bild: AP/Gregory Bull)

(Bild: AP/Andre Penner)

Worth 5.5 billion dollars and packed to the brim despite the unusually early kickoff at 12 p.m. local time —it wasn’t the atmosphere at the home stadium of the NFL teams the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers that prevented either the Swiss or the Bosnians from getting off to a devilishly exciting start to the match. Right from the kickoff, the team—which “Dragon” coach Sergej Barbarez had reshuffled in three positions compared to the opener against Canada—rushed forward: Edin Džeko up front in place of Jovo Lukić, Kerim Alajbegović for Esmir Bajraktarević on the right wing, and Ivan Šunjić for Ivan Bašić in central midfield—rushed forward. It was only by luck that Michel Aebischer escaped without a yellow card in the 2nd minute after a foul on Alajbegović—and from the resulting free kick, the Bosnians then forced a corner kick. Sad but true: After nothing came of it, the Bosnians’ dominance was over for the time being.

The Swiss increasingly took control of the game; compared to the “QATAR-stros,” Silvan Widmer had replaced Denis Zakaria and Fabien Rieder had replaced Rubén Vargas in the starting lineup. Admittedly, Murat Yakin’s players failed to pose any real goal threat—at this point, it’s worth noting the expected goals figures after the first half: Switzerland stood at 0.06 and Bosnia at 0.18—neither “Nati” goalkeeper Gregor Kobel nor his “Dragons” counterpart Nikola Vasilj needed blood pressure medication…

There were a few moments when something could have happened, but in reality, both teams lacked precision, awareness, luck, or simply a bit of skill. But just as Klagenfurt’s Tarik Muharemović managed to deflect a cross from Ricardo Rodríguez into a corner (albeit somewhat clumsily/6th minute), Granit Xhaka’s long-range shot was blocked by a Bosnian player’s head (8th), and Dan Ndoye, after a pass from Xhaka and a quick turn, hit only the outside net from the edge of the penalty area (10th). Ndoye then demonstrated several times in the following minutes (13th minute—Fersler’s attempt; 19th and 20th minutes—a better “back pass”) that, despite all his agility and stamina, he is anything but a natural goal-scorer. For Bosnia, Florian Wiegele’s Plzeň teammate Amar Memić had briefly found himself in front of the Swiss goal during a quick counterattack, but he shot well over the bar…

(Bild: AP/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

As has happened several times already in this World Cup, the “hydration break” threw the previously better team off its stride. While the Swiss had previously been visually superior—even if they hadn’t posed much of a threat—that was now over, and the Bosnians once again began to resemble the team from the first few minutes. To avoid any misunderstanding: Džeko and company didn’t have any real scoring chances either, though there were certainly a few “near-misses.” For example, Memić, who missed the ball in the penalty area after a cross from Džeko (32’) and, after a solo run, saw his shot at the near post saved by goalie Kobel (38’).Or by Džeko, whose shot from 14 meters out—following a pass from Alajbegović—was blocked (41').

Whatever words coaches Yakin and Barbarez may have found for their players at halftime, they must have been wise: For apart from a somewhat disjointed start to the second half, both the Swiss and the Bosnians now sought their fortune not only in attack—they also found it. Now there were “real” scoring chances, for which Ndoye was once again responsible: In the 51st minute, he forced Vasilj into a save with (yet another) attempt at the near post, and five minutes later, the Bosnian goalkeeper came out on top again against a spectacular bicycle kick by the Nottingham forward. Perhaps it was for the best, as that magical goal would not have counted due to an offside violation.

(Bild: AP/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

In the meantime, former Salzburg player Amar Dedić tested Swiss goalkeeper Kobel with a mid-range shot at the end of a counterattack (69th minute) — thereby showing the Swiss team, which had been the nominal favorite going into the match, that despite their now-increasing control—almost dominance—they should remain on their guard. Incidentally, Džeko had been substituted shortly before—a move that would come back to haunt them, because even if it wasn’t immediately apparent, without their veteran star on the field, the “Dragons’” play slowly but surely lost its structure…

At a rather inopportune moment in the 70th minute, the now-obligatory water break once again interrupted the Swiss—but unlike in the first half, they weren’t fazed by it; quite the opposite! Johan Manzambi, the Freiburg player who had just come on as a substitute, came to the rescue of the Swiss, who remained on their toes, and scored the 1-0 goal on his very first touch: after a cross from Vargas and a central header clearance, he blasted a volley under the crossbar.

After that, the action came thick and fast: Before the Bosnians had even fully recovered from conceding the goal, they lost their defender Muharemović to a red card—the Klagenfurt native had no choice but to foul Embolo during a lightning-fast Swiss counterattack (81'). Three minutes later, Vargas—who had “only” provided the assist for the 1–0 goal—sealed the victory with his goal to make it 2–0, slotting the ball low into the far corner. Another five minutes later, it was Manzambi once again who, following a brilliant through pass from Xhaka and a burst of energy from Vargas, converted Vargas’s cross into the net for the 3–0 lead. But the teams—which had been so stingy with scoring chances, especially in the first half—still weren’t done: In the 93rd minute, Wels-born Ermin Mahmić stepped into the spotlight; following a corner kick for Bosnia, he capitalized on goalkeeper Kobel’s half-hearted punch to unleash a thunderous shot from the edge of the penalty area—which struck the net at around 115 km/h.

The result:
Switzerland – Bosnia and Herzegovina 4:1 (0:0)
Inglewood, SoFi Stadium, 70,000 spectators, referee Joao Pinheiro (Portugal)

Goals: 1–0 (74') Manzambi, 2–0 (84') Vargas, 3–0 (90') Manzambi, 3–1 (93') Mahmić, 4–1 (90'+7/penalty) Xhaka