Colombia Eliminated

LIVE: Can Switzerland Beat Colombia, Too?

(Bild: AFP/DAVID RAMOS)

What began as a veritable “QATAR-strrophe” is increasingly turning into a little summer fairy tale—for the first time since 1954 (!), Switzerland has reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup! The Swiss national team sealed this historic victory in front of about 52,000 spectators at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, where they defeated the “Cafeteros” from South America in a penalty shootout. While the Colombians missed out on their second quarterfinal appearance since 2014, Switzerland now faces the reigning world champions...

One small downside: For the match against Argentina, the team led by head coach Murat Yakin—who has been in charge since August 2021—will have to leave the “lucky stadium” they’ve come to love during this World Cup. Instead of Vancouver—where the Swiss defeated Canada 2–1, Algeria 2–0, and Colombia in a penalty shootout—they will now continue their journey at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, a venue still unfamiliar to them.

The Swiss Team(Bild: AP/Gregory Bull)

The Swiss team(Bild: AP/Gregory Bull)

Switzerland Without Rising Star Manzambi
When the match began in Vancouver, the sun shone only intermittently; the sky was just as overcast as—perhaps—Coach Yakin’s mood —as he had to do without two key offensive players, Johan Manzambi (3 goals and 2 assists in 4 World Cup games so far!) and Rubén Vargas, compared to the Round of 32 match against Algeria. While the latter was at least able to take a seat on the bench, the former was completely sidelined due to knee problems—Ardon Jashari and Fabian Rieder stepped into the starting lineup for the two, forming an offensively flexible 4-4-2 formation. On the Colombian side, there was only one change from their match against Ghana: Head coach Néstor Lorenzo replaced Jhon Córdoba—who had been substituted early due to injury—with Luis Suárez at center forward for the “Cafeteros,” who played in a 4-3-3 formation.

(Bild: AFP/DAVID RAMOS)

Switzerland Loses Control of the Match
Tactical discipline, fierce tackling, plenty of passion, and a strong work rate— but—or perhaps precisely because of that—no real scoring chances—even before the first water break, the final Round of 16 match of the 2026 World Cup wasn’t exactly the kind of game one could describe as an exciting offensive spectacle. The Swiss, who initially focused on calm, controlled build-up play and early pressing, lost control of the match by the 15th minute, partly because the Colombians knew how to break the press and increasingly took Swiss captain Granit Xhaka out of the game. It was almost inevitable that the only good offensive chances initially belonged to the “Cafeteros”—first from a free-kick cross by James (13th minute; goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made the save) and then on a curling shot by Gustavo Puerta from the edge of the penalty area (21’—Kobel parried it to the side). Expected goals (xG) figures of 0.01 for Switzerland and 0.04 for Colombia reflected the lack of scoring threat up to that point...

“Hydration Break” Brings Switzerland Back to Life
During the brief water break that followed shortly afterward, Switzerland coach Yakin apparently found the right words to rally his team, which had fallen behind after a decent start. After an initial tentative chance by Jashari, who narrowly missed a fine pass from Denis Zakaria just outside the penalty area on the right (28'), Rieder forced Colombia’s goalkeeper Camilo Vargas to make a save from a tight angle just to the left after a costly turnover by defender Daniel Muñoz (30th minute). Until the halftime whistle, the “frequency” of chances—which had briefly skyrocketed—quickly subsided again. But even with a shot by Dan Ndoye (33’—Vargas saved it) and one by Puerta (39th minute/way off target), the goal cheers didn’t even get stuck in the throats of the fans in the stands—most of whom were rooting for the Colombians—but rather a vague hope remained—see Expected Goals values of 0.06 to 0.25 ...

(Bild: AFP/LUKE HALES)

Substitute Sow Misses 1–0 for Switzerland
Jashari, who had been completely ineffective in the first half, remained in the locker room at halftime; coach Yakin replaced the Milan player with Djibril Sow. And the FC Sevilla player suddenly had the 1–0 at his feet: After Ndoye beat Muñoz one-on-one on the left edge of the penalty area, he played a sharp pass into the middle, where Remo Freuler let it through to Sow, who shot from around the penalty spot—but missed (48'). It was certainly a promising chance. The second chance of the second half also belonged to the Swiss national team, which—just like at the very start—was now making a better impression. Rieder curled a free kick with his left foot just outside the penalty area around the wall, but it also went just wide of the goal—so close, in fact, that the billowing net made some in the stadium think it was a magical goal (54').

Colombia loses its rhythm somewhat in the second half
And Colombia? Unlike before the break, coach Néstor Lorenzo’s team took longer after the restart to find their footing—but they remained far from regaining control of the match. For the time being, they could manage little more than the occasional offensive jab, such as a Luis Díaz chip shot following a poorly cleared cross (60') and a long-range shot by Luis Suárez, though the ball slipped off his instep and went wide (63').With a lot of frantic play, numerous substitutions, and many minor fouls, the match between Switzerland and Colombia subsequently headed toward extra time—partly because, on one side, substitute Jaminton Campaz was a split-second too late to beat goalkeeper Kobel on a Colombian counterattack following a Swiss corner kick (84'), and on the other side, Ndoye—after a pass from Sow—was able to shoot fairly unmarked in the penalty area but, from a tight angle, directed the ball more toward the corner flag than toward the winning goal.

(Bild: AP/DARRYL DYCK)

Teams Open Up Offensively in Extra Time
Seek a decision inextra timeor hope for luck in a penalty shootout? Both teams initially answered this question with a hearty “no idea” after the restart. For the time being, the game remained marked by tactical discipline, fierce tackling, plenty of passion, and a strong willingness to run—all while keeping their sights firmly set on defense. Just as it began to look as though both the “Nati” and the “Cafeteros” were heading for a penalty shootout, the match suddenly picked up pace: First, Colombia’s Jhon Lucumí hit the crossbar with a header off a corner kick (99'), then Campaz tested Swiss goalie Kobel from 24 meters (101'). And at the other end, goalkeeper Vargas had to make a save on a shot fired from about eleven meters by Zeki Amdouni, who had just come on as a substitute (104th minute).

But that was all that happened in the end; the fear of a mistake that couldn’t be undone as the clock ran out led both teams to play more cautiously once again—the penalty shootout would decide who advanced to the quarterfinals.

The result:
Switzerland – Colombia 0–0
Vancouver, BC Place Stadium, 52,000 spectators, Referee Iván Barton (El Salvador)