Vancouver: Switzerland kept their FIFA World Cup dream alive with a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Colombia after 120 minutes of goalless football on Tuesday, securing a place in the quarterfinals for the first time in more than seven decades.
The tense Round of 16 contest failed to produce a goal through regulation time or extra time, forcing the match into penalties. Switzerland held their nerve from the spot as Colombia faltered, with Davinson Sánchez striking the crossbar and Cucho Hernández seeing his penalty saved. Ruben Vargas calmly converted the decisive kick to send the Swiss into the last eight, where they will face defending champions Argentina.
The victory marks a historic milestone for Switzerland. It is their fourth appearance in a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal across 13 tournament appearances and their first since hosting the tournament in 1954. The Swiss had exited in the Round of 16 in each of their previous four World Cup knockout appearances this century, including the last three editions.
Switzerland also achieved another first by winning multiple knockout matches in the same World Cup campaign.
The Swiss were without emerging talent Johan Manzambi, who missed the match after suffering a knee injury during training. His absence was evident early on as Colombia controlled much of the opening half, although they struggled to create clear scoring opportunities.
Colombia’s best chance before halftime came through Gustavo Puerta, whose curling effort from outside the penalty area was comfortably stopped by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Neither side managed to break the deadlock after the interval. Colombia came close when Luis Suárez fired wide, while Switzerland’s best effort arrived through Fabian Rieder, whose left-footed volley was denied by goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
Extra time finally brought sustained moments of danger. Colombia defender Jhon Lucumí rattled the crossbar with a powerful header, while Swiss substitute Zeki Amdouni forced Vargas into an important save at the other end.
With neither side able to find the breakthrough, the contest was decided from the penalty spot. Switzerland converted four of their five attempts, while Colombia’s costly misses proved decisive, allowing Vargas to seal a memorable victory and send the Swiss into the quarterfinals.
