Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties to reach their first quarter-final since 1954
Switzerland ended a 72-year wait to reach the World Cup quarter-finals after beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in Vancouver on Tuesday, with Ruben Vargas converting the decisive spot-kick to set up a round of 16 meeting with defending champions Argentina.
Gregor Kobel proved Switzerland’s hero in the shootout, saving Cucho Hernandez’s penalty after Davinson Sanchez had earlier hit the crossbar. Although Manuel Akanji shone in his effort to briefly give Colombia hope, Vargas kept his cool to send the Swiss into their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954.
The victory was all the more remarkable given the circumstances. Murat Yakin’s side were without injured star Johan Manzambi, knocking out Vargas and managing just two shots on target in 120 minutes. Still, they found a way to survive against a Colombia side that carried the greater attacking threat for much of the evening.
Switzerland vs. Colombia Round of 16, FIFA World Cup: Highlights
COLOMBIA IS ASKING QUESTIONS
Backed by a sea of yellow inside BC Place, Colombia looked the more dangerous side from the opening whistle as they chased just the second World Cup quarter-final in their history.
The best chance of the opening half came in the 21st minute when Gustavo Puerta curled a strike into the far corner, only for Kobel to make a brilliant save to preserve parity.
Switzerland responded soon after through Fabian Rieder, whose effort from a tight angle was pushed out by Camilo Vargas. It turned out to be one of only two shots on target for the Swiss in the entire match, with their last shot on target coming as early as the 32nd minute.
The Swiss rarely threatened after that, but even they didn’t allow Colombia to dominate the scoring. Their disciplined defensive form frustrated the South Americans, whose tournament was built on one of the toughest defenses in the competition.
NO WAY
After the break, the game opened up without either side finding a decisive hit.
Dan Ndoye came closest to winning in stoppage time in normal time, timing his run perfectly before curling a low effort inches wide of the far post.
The extension had a similar course. Colombia pushed forward more while Switzerland stayed organized and waited for opportunities on the counters.
The two sides came closest to breaking the deadlock when Jhon Lucumi rose highest from a Colombian corner, only to see his powerful header hit the crossbar and Kobel beaten.
Neither side could find a breakthrough and sent the match to penalties for the fourth time in the knockout stages of the tournament.
FINALLY HISTORY
The shootout turned Switzerland around as Sanchez hit the post before Kobel denied Hernandez with a crucial save.
Although Akanji’s miss briefly reopened the match, Vargas calmly slotted the decisive penalty into the bottom corner before being engulfed by his team-mates as Switzerland celebrated a long-awaited breakthrough.
“It’s very hard for me to realize what we accomplished today,” Vargas said after the game.
“I am grateful for this moment. It was an amazing match for me. We gave everything on the pitch for 120 minutes. We faced a strong opponent, but now we have made history.”
The result also continued an interesting World Cup trend. The second-placed team has now won 13 of the last 15 penalty shootouts at the Men’s World Cup, with all four shootouts at the 2026 tournament going the same way.
More importantly for Switzerland, another unwanted streak was finally over. After falling in the round of 16 in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022, they finally broke this barrier and extended their unbeaten run in the competition to 11 matches.
Their reward is a disheartening quarter-final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who staged a stunning two-goal comeback before knocking out Egypt on Tuesday. Switzerland will enter as underdogs, but after ending a wait that stretched back to 1954, Yakin’s side have already shown they know how to skate out of history.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
08 Jul 2026 06:22 IST