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, who were in tatters after their 1-1 embarrassment against underdog Qatar in their Group B opener on home soil, got back on the winning track—and almost certainly back on course for the knockoutWith the Swiss now sitting on four points, it would take a miracle for them to miss the round of 32...

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 Los Angeles Stadium that prevented either the Swiss or the Bosnians from getting off to a devilishly exciting start. Right from the kickoff, the team—which “Dragons” coach Sergej Barbarez had reshuffled in three positions compared to the opener against Canada—came out strong: Edin Džeko replaced Jovo Lukić up front, Kerim Alajbegović for Esmir Bajraktarević on the right wing, and Ivan Šunjić for Ivan Bašić in central midfield—rushed forward.

The Swiss team(Bild: AP/Gregory Bull)

The Bosnian team(Bild: AP/Andre Penner)

Nearly Embarrassing Expected Goals Figures
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’ glory was over for the time being.

The Swiss increasingly took control of the game; compared to the “QATAR-strrophe,” 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…

 lacked precision, vision, luck, and skill. There were a few moments when something could have happened, but in reality, both teams struggled with precision, vision, luck, or simply a lack of skill. But just as 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, also hit only the outside net from the edge of the penalty area (10th).

Ndoye then demonstrated several times afterward (13th minute—a backheel attempt; 19th and 20th minutes—a poor “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, in the meantime, broken through in front of the Swiss goal on a quick counterattack, but he shot well over the bar…

(Bild: AP/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Hydration Break Throws Switzerland Off Balance
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 a thing of the past, and the Bosnians began to resemble the team from the first few minutes once again, thanks in part to Coach Barbarez’s tactical shift from the initial 4-4-2 to a five-man defense—which allowed the three central defenders (instead of two) to better contain the Swiss attackers. To avoid any misunderstanding: Džeko and company didn’t have any real scoring chances either, but there were a few “near-misses.” For example, Memić, who missed the ball in the penalty area after a cross from Džeko (32'). Or Džeko, whose shot from 14 meters was blocked (41').

Whatever words coaches Yakin and Barbarez may have found for their players at halftime, they must have been wise: Because soon enough, both the Swiss and the Bosnians not only sought their salvation in attack, they also found it. Now with “real” scoring chances, for which Ndoye was once again the main threat: In the 51st minute, he forced Vasilj into a save with a shot aimed at the near post, and five minutes later, the Bosnian goalkeeper came out on top again against Ndoye’s spectacular bicycle kick. Perhaps it was for the best, since that magical goal would not have counted due to an offside violation...

Džeko’s Substitution Proves Costly for the Bosnians
Meanwhile, former Salzburg player Amar Dedić tested Swiss goalkeeper Kobel with a long-range shot at the end of a counterattack (69th minute) —thus showing the Swiss team, which had been favored before the match, that despite their now-increasing control—almost dominance—they should remain on their guard. Incidentally, Džeko had been substituted shortly before (63rd minute)—a move that would come back to haunt them, as without their veteran star on the field, the “Dragons’” play slowly but surely lost its structure…

(Bild: AP/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Seemingly at a rather inopportune moment, the now-obligatory water break descended upon Switzerland again in the 70th minute—but unlike in the first half, they weren’t fazed by it; quite the opposite! Johan Manzambi—one of three substitutes who made an immediate impact during the hydration break, alongside Djibril Sow and Rubén Vargas—came to the rescue of the Swiss, who remained on their toes, and scored the 1–0 goal with his very first touch, following a cross from Vargas and a header clearance that went too central, with a thunderous volley under the crossbar.

Johan Manzambi(Bild: AFP/HARRY HOW)

A completely crazy final phase
After that, things happened in rapid succession: Before the Bosnians had even fully recovered from conceding the goal, they lost defender Muharemović to a red card—the Klagenfurt native had no choice but to commit a foul on Embolo during a 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.

Wels-born Mahmić scores for Bosnia
Another five minutes later, it was Manzambi once again who, following a through pass from Xhaka and a burst of energy from Vargas, converted Vargas’s cross to make it 3–0. 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 native Ermin Mahmić stepped into the spotlight; following a corner kick for Bosnia, he capitalized on Kobel’s half-hearted punch to unleash a thunderous shot from the edge of the penalty area—which found the net at around 115 km/h.

Was this the big chance to turn the tide once again, to make a comeback in a sort of soccer fairy tale? No! Because Switzerland’s captain, Xhaka, is clearly no fan of happy endings for the opposition: After a penalty-area foul by Memić on substitute Djibril Sow, referee Pinheiro pointed to the spot without hesitation—and Xhaka converted the penalty coolly and without mercy (98th minute).

The result:
Switzerland – Bosnia and Herzegovina 4–1 (0–0)
Inglewood, SoFi Stadium, 70,026 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

Red card: Muharemovic (80., denying a scoring opportunity)

Yellow cards: Elvedi and Dedic, Dzeko

Switzerland: Kobel – Widmer (86. Jaquez), Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez – Aebischer (72. Sow), Xhaka, Freuler – Rieder (72. Vargas), Embolo (89. Itten), Ndoye (72. Manzambi)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj – Dedic, Katic, Muharemovic, Kolasinac – Memic, Tahirovic (63. Basic), Sunjic (85. Hadziahmetovic), Alajbegovic (91. Mahmic) – Demirovic (85. Lukic), Dzeko (63. Bajraktarevic)