VANCOUVER: Switzerland’s Ruben Vargas stroked home the decisive penalty to beat Colombia 4-3 in a shootout after a goalless 120 minutes, sending the Swiss into their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954 and a clash with holders Argentina.
The shootout swung in Switzerland’s favour when their goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saved Cucho Hernandez’s penalty after Davinson Sanchez had earlier hit the crossbar for Colombia.
Although Manuel Akanji also missed for Switzerland, firing over the bar, Vargas made no mistake, stroking the winning penalty into the bottom corner.
“It is very difficult for me to realise what we achieved today,” Vargas said.
“I’m grateful for this moment. It was an amazing match for me. For 120 minutes we gave it all on the pitch. We faced a strong opponent, but now we made history… It was amazing that I could score the decisive penalty.”
It was heartbreak for Colombia, who were bidding to reach the quarter-finals for only the second time in their history, having previously done so at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The best opportunity of the first half arrived in the 21st minute when Colombia midfielder Gustavo Puerta curled a shot towards the far corner from around 18 yards, forcing Kobel into a superb diving save to his left.
Switzerland responded moments later, but Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was equal to Fabian Rieder’s effort from a tight angle.
Swiss winger Dan Ndoye nearly snatched a winner in the 91st minute, making a clever run before dragging a low shot across goal just wide of the far post.
In extra time, Colombia centre-back Jhon Lucumi came within inches of breaking the deadlock, rising unmarked to meet a corner only to see his header crash against the crossbar. The near miss sparked a frenetic spell as both sides pushed forward in search of a winner.
Colombia entered the game in Vancouver, the last to be hosted by Canada at the tournament, boasting one of the tournament’s stingiest defences, having conceded just once in their previous matches.
The Swiss were dealt a major setback before kick-off when 20-year-old attacker Johan Manzambi, their breakout star of the tournament with three goals and two assists, was ruled out after suffering a knee injury in training.
Pure joy
Competing at their sixth successive World Cup, Switzerland have become a model of consistency in qualification, but progress beyond the round of 16 had remained stubbornly out of reach in recent editions.
They were eliminated at that stage in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022, but finally overcame that hurdle despite the absence of key players to reach their fourth World Cup quarter-final in their history.
The result also erased some of the disappointment of Euro 2024, when Switzerland lost 5-3 on penalties to England in the quarter-finals.
It was pure joy after Vargas converted the winning penalty. The entire Swiss squad sprinted towards him as celebrations erupted in Vancouver.
BC Place provided a vibrant backdrop, with Colombia supporters vastly outnumbering their Swiss counterparts.
The sea of yellow shirts transformed the stadium into what felt like a home match for the South Americans, whose fans generated a relentless atmosphere, roaring on every Colombian attack and jeering Swiss players whenever they were on the ball.
The Swiss will face Argentina in the quarter-finals in Kansas City after Lionel Scaloni’s side produced a stunning comeback from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 earlier on Tuesday.
