Switzerland’s Breel Embolo struck early and Dan Ndoye added a second after the break as they cruised to a 2-0 win over Algeria and into the last 16 at the World Cup, where they will meet Colombia or Ghana back in Vancouver next week.
The victory was Switzerland’s first in the knockout stage since 1938, and they will fancy their chances in the next round after a tactical masterclass orchestrated by coach Murat Yakin.
They shifted formations and laid traps for Algeria before hitting them with two sucker-punch goals that decided a contest short on excitement, but full of intrigue and nuance.
Pitted against a familiar foe in Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic, who had seven years at the helm of Switzerland between 2014 and 2021, Yakin set his team up to absorb early pressure and strike on the break, and that is exactly what they did.
“We couldn’t underestimate Algeria and we had to be clinical, that clinical finishing made the difference today,” striker Embolo said.
“It gave us the energy we needed in the first half. We could have been even more ruthless in the second half. We played with great maturity. We have to stay humble and keep working.”
Swiss grab early lead through Embolo
Switzerland’s opener was as simple as it was effective.
They won the ball in their own half and sent 20-year-old Johan Manzambi off down the left on the counter, and he squared for Embolo to steer the ball into the net from close range in the 10th minute.
The lead secured, Switzerland shifted to a five-man midfield out of possession, snuffing out the space and challenging the Algerians to play through them, but Petkovic’s charges struggled to break their opponents down.
Algeria’s best chance came in first-half stoppage time when Ibrahim Maza dragged a snap shot wide of the near post, one of few efforts on goal they managed in the game.
The Swiss struck again almost immediately after the break, attacking down the right before a half-hearted clearance from Rafik Belghali ended up at the feet of Ndoye and the winger placed his shot beyond the dive of goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez could have pulled a goal back moments later but he fired straight at a defender from a central position, summing up a frustrating evening for the Algerians.
With Granit Xhaka steering Switzerland’s defensive shape, they went back to their original game-plan of ceding possession and launching lightning-fast counter-attacks, but the Algerians were wary of committing players forward lest they concede again.
Despite the sell-out crowd at BC Place, the last 15 minutes were played in virtual silence, only broken by cheers and then groans as Swiss substitute Fabian Rieder somehow contrived to miss with the goal at his mercy, scuffing his shot back across goal where a grateful Zidane was able to avert the danger.
Fortunately for Switzerland it had no bearing on the outcome as they celebrated moving into a last-16 clash on Tuesday.
Ndoye capped a superb performance with his well-taken goal, revealing he had waited a long time for it.
“Before the World Cup, I hadn’t played for a long time, so I had to get back into the swing of things. I was really looking for that goal, and sometimes when you look for it too much, it doesn’t come,” the Nottingham Forest said.
“Today, I started playing by telling myself, ‘Just play the way you know how, don’t overthink it,’ and it came naturally. Our strength is knowing how to play as a team.”
Algeria captain retires
Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez announced that the game was his last for the national team.
“The goal was to progress, and I think it was a game that was within our reach. We conceded two goals on mistakes, and at this level, we pay dearly for that,” he said.
Asked if Thursday’s defeat would be his last match at the World Cup, the 35-year-old went one step further.
“It’s my last appearance even with the national team. It was my last game,” he said.
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