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After 120 scoreless minutes and a tense penalty shootout, Switzerland became the last team to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup by outlasting Colombia.
BC Place Vancouver was a sea of yellow as it was firmly behind Colombia, and the large crowd watched both teams play fantastic defensively on Tuesday afternoon.
Colombia and Switzerland entered this tournament with one knockout victory in their respective history. Colombia won in 2014 against Uruguay, while Switzerland beat Germany in 1938. After victories in the round of 16, both teams had the chance to make this the undisputed best World Cup in their country’s history.
Ultimately, it’s Switzerland who have seen steady growth over the past decade and will now face defending champions Argentina in the quarterfinals.
Here are my four takeaways from Tuesday’s game:
1. Extremely tight defense
Tuesday’s match was relatively difficult, with neither team scoring through 120 minutes of play. (Photo by Christopher Morris/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Colombia and Switzerland were playing well before this match, with each team winning their respective groups (both teams were 2-1-0 in group play), followed by impressive victories in the round of 16. The heart of each team’s success had been their defensive discipline and form.
Combined with the great respect the teams had for each other, this made for a very cautious start, with each team quickly getting back into defensive shape whenever possession was lost. The game needed a moment of individual brilliance, but neither team seemed willing to risk committing many players to the attack. Colombian Gustavo Puerta had the first real chance of the match in the 21st minute when he forced a big save from Gregor Kobel.
The game began to open up slightly after the first half’s hydration break. Colombian Camilo Vargas was forced to make two saves against Swiss wingers Dan Ndoye and Fabian Rieder just after the half-hour mark.
In the second half, Colombia started to push a little higher and head coach Néstor Lorenzo made offensive substitutions in the 66th and 83rd minutes. Switzerland had a little more space to operate but failed to create in the first 90 minutes.
As is the case with low-scoring games, it’s not just about defense. The players also failed to mobilize and make a big play that no one saw coming. Switzerland clearly missed Johan Manzambi, who injured his knee during the team’s last training session. The 20-year-old versatile striker from Friborg has been Switzerland’s best player in the last three matches with three goals and two assists.
The match ended in 120 minutes with only three shots on goal for Colombia and two for Switzerland.
2. Not many errors
This isn’t the first time a World Cup match has been heavily defensive, but what makes this match very different is that there were very few mistakes from either team. The teams played passes in their own half to avoid giving the opponent golden chances. There weren’t many teams giving dangerous set pieces; defensive clearances were effective in getting the ball out of danger.
The credit goes to the exceptional play of the central defenders of both teams. Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi, as well as Colombians Davinson Sánchez and Jhon Lucumí, were all excellent and handled everything that came their way. Lucumí almost broke the deadlock in extra time when his header rattled the crossbar on the closest chance of the match. Meanwhile, the Swiss defense managed to neutralize Luis Díaz, who is one of the best wingers in the world.
Oddly enough, the worst miss of the match came in the 115th minute when the match’s most experienced and reliable Swiss midfielder, captain Granit Xhaka, missed a clearance and gifted Jaminton Campaz a golden opportunity, which was then fired over the bar.
3. Confident Swiss shooters
When the match went to penalties, the match was entirely up for grabs, but Switzerland confidently converted four of five attempts. The only Swiss player who missed out was Manuel Akanji, who had a superb game in central defense. This time, his Swiss teammates managed to save him after he missed a penalty shootout attempt in a defeat against England in the round of 16 at UEFA Euro 2024.
Throughout overtime, it seemed like Switzerland was the more comfortable team with the match in a shootout. It was a bold strategy, and it paid off as Granit Xhaka, Zeki Amdouni, Cedric Itten and Rubén Vargas all looked strong in their attempts.
4. Best Swiss team in history
Murat Yakin helped Switzerland reach new heights during his time as head coach (Photo by Jared C. Tilton – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
With its run to the quarter-finals, it is the best Swiss team in the history of the program, and this run was long overdue.
Head coach Murat Yakin has been the architect of the team’s success, considering it one of the most improved European teams over the last two decades. Now in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Yakin allows Switzerland to play well in major tournaments.
Switzerland performed brilliantly during the World Cup qualifiers, as they did not lose a single match. The Swiss also scored 14 goals and conceded only twice during qualifying.
Yakin took over in 2021 and led the team to qualification for the 2022 World Cup. At the World Cup in Qatar, Switzerland advanced to the round of 16. At Euro 2024, Switzerland went even further, beating reigning champions Italy in the round of 16 before losing to England in a quarter-final shootout.
Yankin opted for experience to build his team, and against Colombia, no starting outfield player had fewer than 31 caps.
Despite a poor start to the tournament against Qatar, Yakin has his team playing well and as a coach he has done a fantastic job in taking his team to the next level.
