Davinson Sánchez lifted his eyes skyward. Cucho Hernández shuffled slowly back to rejoin his colleagues. As the final whistle approached, the Colombian squad lay scattered across the turf while Switzerland celebrated, virtually isolated amid a vast ocean of yellow. A penalty shootout victory, 4-3, sent the Swiss through, concluding more than two hours of cautious, tightly wound, and remarkably goalless knockout football at this World Cup.
Switzerland now move on to the quarter-finals, a stage they have not reached since 1954, when that round served as the opening knockout phase of a home tournament featuring only 16 nations. Matching that achievement further will be a formidable test, as they are set to meet Lionel Messi and Argentina in Kansas City in four days.
More a tactical puzzle than a free-flowing contest, Colombia and Switzerland carefully sized each other up for over 120 minutes, each searching for a decisive opening that never came. Possession stayed balanced, and control of midfield passed back and forth in brief spells. At times, the midfields were bypassed entirely with long balls aimed at testing the well-organized defensive units. The match may have lacked spectacular moments, but it certainly closed with high tension.
The fixture could clearly have used the sharp finishing of Swiss revelation Johan Manzambi, the team’s top scorer who missed out after suffering a knee injury in training and was left off the squad list. Colombia continued to channel their offensive play through James Rodríguez.
Quarter-final lineup
- 9 July France v Morocco (Boston, 4pm local/9pm BST/6am 10 July AEST)
- 10 July Spain v Belgium (Los Angeles, 12pm local/8pm BST/5am 11 July AEST)
- 11 July Norway v England (Miami, 5pm local time/10pm BST/7am 12 July AEST)
- 12 July Argentina v Switzerland (Kansas, 8pm local time/2am BST/11am AEST)
The iconic roof of BC Place stayed shut despite the bright and sunny conditions outdoors in British Columbia, with a cooling system that appeared to be straining. A dense, muggy atmosphere filled the venue for this final match in Canada, bringing the co‑host nation’s journey in the competition to a close.
The uncomfortable air did little to quiet the raucous supporters, and there was no doubt who they had come to cheer. Much of the sold-out crowd of 52,497 were clad in some shade of vibrant Colombian yellow, maintaining songs throughout and loudly booing whenever their side lost the ball. It was not the Caribbean coast, but it was perhaps the nearest you could get this far north.
Colombia’s quick transitions looked dangerous first, paying off in the 21st minute. Rodríguez’s initial touch in the middle was not his cleanest, creating a scramble that Jefferson Lerma pounced upon. The Crystal Palace midfielder pushed the ball ahead, and it eventually arrived at Gustavo Puerta just outside the area. Puerta’s curving strike looked headed for the far top corner, but a leaping stop from Gregor Kobel pushed it away.
Switzerland carved out a major opening of their own nine minutes later. Daniel Muñoz’s attempted defensive clearance was blocked by Dan Ndoye, leaving the ball to fall for Fabian Rieder, who charged toward goal. His shot drew a sharp save from Camilo Vargas, who then had to repeat the feat moments afterward, diving low to his left to deny Ndoye again.
Switzerland introduced Djibril Sow for Ardon Jashari at the interval, and the new arrival nearly made his mark at once, sending a volley over the crossbar from an Ndoye delivery just minutes into the second period.
Colombia wasted another big opportunity in the 63rd minute after a stray Swiss pass out of defense left Xhaka stranded, with Luis Suárez picking his pocket. Staring at an open goal, the forward mishit his strike entirely, sending it sailing harmlessly high and off target. The crowd erupted in collective disappointment before quickly turning to shouts of support. These were encouraging glimpses of energy.
Colombia gained a bit more sharpness in the final third after replacing Rodríguez with Juan Quintero in the 66th minute. The 34-year-old left the pitch to a warm ovation. Yet even with a livelier attacking presence and a slight edge in momentum as regular time wound down, Colombia’s issues near goal continued. Through passes were marginally overhit. Bodies drifted fractionally offside. Bursts forward were thwarted by a determined Swiss rearguard. The match went to extra time, and that was when Colombia seemed to seize the initiative.
Los Cafeteros had a penalty shout waved away in the 93rd minute after substitute Jaminton Campaz was caught by Miro Muheim following a touch inside the area. Five minutes later came a gut-wrenching moment for Colombia, as Jhon Lucumí’s header from Quintero’s perfectly placed corner crashed against the crossbar. Not long after, an ambitious long-range effort from Campaz drew a smart stop from Kobel.
The Swiss responded with their own anxious moment, as Zeki Amdouni, barely on the pitch, lunged at a loose ball in the box and forced an excellent diving save from Vargas.
Before long, one had to wonder if some curse had settled over the Swiss goal, as an unmarked Campaz blasted over from close range in the 116th minute. Unfortunately for Colombia, the supposed spell held firm.
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