VANCOUVER: Switzerland marched into the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties after the match ended in a goalless draw despite being taken to extra time at Vancouver.
Switzerland has made it to the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal for the fourth time in its history, which has spanned 13 WC appearances. In the 21st century, they have finished in the round of 16 across four editions, including the last three.
This marks their first-ever WC quarterfinal appearance since the 1954 edition.
During the penalty shootout, Colombia faced a setback as Davinson Sanchez had his spot kick smashed against the bar, while Cucho Hernandez’s effort was saved by the goalkeeper, before Ruben Vargas delivered the decider blow to book a quarterfinal clash against defending champions Argentina.
It is for the first time ever that Switzerland, which missed the services of its rising star Johan Manzambi due to a knee injury sustained during training, won multiple knockout matches during a single FIFA WC edition.
The absence of their livewire star was felt during the first half as Colombia dominated, despite not being able to make any clear-cut chances.
The best effort was presented by Gustavo Puerta from outside the box, a curler, which was saved by Kobel. Both sides struggled to get real chances at scoring, and Colombia fans’ had their patience tested as Luis Suarez’ aim in the second half was wastefully wide.
On the other end, Camilo Vargas, the Colombian goalie, did not have to work much, except for saving a left-footed volley rifled by Fabian Rieder.
During the extra time, there were moments of excitement, with Colombia’s Jhon Lucumi attempting a header which crashed into the crossbar and Swiss substitute Zeki Amdouni forcing a save from Vargas.
Then things came down to penalties, where Vargas fired the decisive spot kick, sending the Swiss team into the final eight. (ANI)
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