Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties, after the original and extra time ended in a goalless draw, to reach the last eight of the World Cup for the first time since 1954 and set up a date with defending champions Argentina.
The decisive turnaround came in the penalty shootout when Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Koppel blocked Cocho Hernandez's effort after Colombia received another blow when Davinson Sanchez missed his kick that bounced off the crossbar.
Despite Manuel Akanji missing one of Switzerland's kicks after knocking the ball over the crossbar, Ruben Vargas sealed the win with a superb shot into the bottom corner, with Vargas saying: "It's very difficult to understand what we achieved tonight.
Colombian disappointment
The defeat was a major disappointment for Colombia, who had hoped to reach the last eight for only the second time in their history, after their previous achievement at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The most dangerous chance of the first half came in the 21st minute, when Colombian midfielder Gustavo Puerta fired a curling shot from about 18 yards towards the far corner, but Koppel shone and cleared it in a special way.
Switzerland responded quickly, but Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas blocked Fabian Reeder's shot from a tight angle, and Swiss winger Dan Nduy almost snatched the winning goal at the start of stoppage time, after he skilfully penetrated and shot a ground ball that went along the far post.
In extra-time, Colombian centre-back John Locomé came close to breaking the deadlock, when he went up unattended for a corner, but his header bounced off the crossbar.
That missed opportunity ignited the final minutes of the match, as both teams rushed to the attack in search of the decisive goal, but neither of them succeeded in finding the net.
Colombia entered the match in Vancouver, which hosted the last match of the tournament on Canadian soil, and they have one of the strongest defensive lines in the World Cup, having conceded just one goal in their previous matches.
Switzerland, on the other hand, received a blow before the start of the match in the absence of their young striker Johan Manzambi (20 years old), one of their most prominent stars in the tournament, after scoring three goals and assisting two, due to a knee injury he suffered during training.
Switzerland break the knot of the round of 16
Switzerland is participating in the World Cup for the sixth time in a row, and has become a model of continuity and stability on the international stage, but overcoming the obstacle of the round of 16 remained difficult in the recent editions, as the tournament bid farewell to this round in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022, before finally succeeding in breaking this knot and reaching the last eight for the fourth time in its history, despite missing a number of its key players.
The achievement helped to dispel some of the disappointment left by a Euro 2024 last-eight exit, when Switzerland lost to England 5-3 on penalties.
The Swiss national team rejoiced after Ruben Vargas scored the decisive penalty kick, as all the players and coaching staff rushed towards the winner to celebrate with him amid a noisy atmosphere in Vancouver.
The BC Place Stadium witnessed a noisy atmosphere, as the number of Colombian fans far outnumbered their Swiss counterpart.
The Colombian fans, who wore heavily yellow, turned the stands into what looked like a home game, cheering enthusiastically with each attack of their team, booing every time the Swiss players had the ball.
Switzerland will face Argentina in the last eight in Kansas City, after coach Lionel Scaloni's side turned a two-goal deficit into a thrilling 3-2 win over Egypt earlier.
Comments (0)