Riyad Mahrez’s final World Cup campaign was cut short as the clinical Swiss reached the R16

Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez was sent into international retirement after Switzerland knocked his team out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday, July 3. Playing at BC Place in Vancouver, the Swiss dominated the big games and sealed a clinical win over the Atlas Lions.

Faced with a technically gifted Algerian side, Switzerland survived early pressure and struck through Breel Embolo in the 10th minute. The goal, created by Johan Manzambi after a dazzling solo run, completely changed the complexion of the contest.

Manzambi picked up the ball in midfield and dribbled past several Algerian players before entering the box from the left. He then headed a low cross from the byline to the perfectly positioned Embolo in front of the goal. As Luca Zidane raced to close down Manzambi, Embolo simply tapped the ball into the empty net to give Switzerland the lead.

FIFA World Cup: The best of Switzerland vs Algeria

Switzerland doubled their advantage in the opening minute of the second half after Algeria defender Rafik Belghali’s attempted clearance fell straight to Dan Ndoye. Positioned on the edge of the box, the winger wasted no time unleashing a powerful low drive into the bottom right corner beyond Luca Zidane to make it 2-0.

A goal early in the second half took much of Algiers’ momentum away as they struggled to create clear chances in response.

Switzerland had an opportunity to add to their lead in the 81st minute when Denis Zakarii’s cross eluded Embola’s slip and the unmarked Fabian Rieder reached the far post. Despite having an open goal in front of him, Rieder could only get a weak touch with his left heel, allowing Zidane to recover and save.

Algeria’s best chance came in the 88th minute when Anis Hadj Moussa unleashed a left-footed effort from outside the box. Gregor Kobel saved the shot, but the move was eventually ruled out for offside.

After the match, one of Algeria’s greatest players, Riyad Mahrez, announced his retirement from international football. The captain started the match, but could not make a significant impact. Although he produced several dangerous crosses into the penalty area, Algeria’s forwards failed to capitalize as his international career ended with a Round of 32 exit.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

03 Jul 2026 11:59 IST