VANCOUVER: Switzerland’s Ruben Vargas slotted home the decisive penalty to beat Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless 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 favor 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 and shot over the bar, Vargas made no mistake and slotted the winning penalty into the bottom corner.
“It’s very hard for me to realize what we accomplished today,” Vargas said.
“I am grateful for this moment. It was a great game for me. For 120 minutes we gave everything on the pitch. We faced a strong opponent, but now we made history… It was great 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 done so at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The best opportunity of the first half came in the 21st minute when Colombian midfielder Gustavo Puerta curled a shot towards the far corner from around 18 yards, forcing Kobel into a stunning 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 almost grabbed a winner in the 91st minute, making a smart run before dragging a low shot across goal at the far post.
In added time, Colombian centre-back Jhon Lucumi came within inches of breaking the deadlock, rising unmarked to meet a corner and see his header hit the crossbar. The near miss sparked a frantic spell as both sides pushed forward in search of a winner.
Colombia went into the match in Vancouver, the last to host Canada at the tournament, boasting one of the stingiest defenses of the tournament, having been shut out once in their previous games.
The Swiss suffered a major setback before kick-off when 20-year-old striker Johan Manzambi, their breakout star of the tournament with three goals and two assists, was ruled out after picking up 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 last 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 at 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 the celebrations broke out in Vancouver.
BC Place provided a vibrant backdrop where Colombia’s supporters far outnumbered their Swiss counterparts.
The sea of yellow shirts turned the stadium into what felt like a home game for the South Americans, whose fans created a relentless atmosphere, roaring at every Colombian attack and taunting Swiss players when 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.
