VANCOUVER: Switzerland’s Ruben Vargas scored the decisive penalty to beat Colombia 4-3 in a shootout after 120 goalless minutes, sending the Swiss to their first World Cup quarterfinals since 1954 and a clash with champions Argentina.
The penalty shootout swung in Switzerland’s favor when goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saved Cucho Hernández’s penalty after Davinson Sánchez had earlier hit the crossbar for Colombia.
Although Manuel Akanji also missed for Switzerland, shooting over the bar, Vargas made no mistake and slotted the winning penalty into the bottom corner.
“It’s very difficult for me to realize what we accomplished today,” Vargas said.
“I am grateful for this moment. It was an incredible match for me. For 120 minutes we gave everything on the field. We faced a strong opponent, but now we made history… It was incredible that I was able to score the decisive penalty.”
It was heartbreaking for Colombia, which aspired to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in its history, having done so previously in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The best chance of the first half came in the 21st minute, when Colombian midfielder Gustavo Puerta fired into the far corner from about 18 yards out, forcing Kobel to make a magnificent save to his left.
Switzerland responded moments later, but Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas almost equalized Fabián Rieder’s shot from a tight angle.
Swiss winger Dan Ndoye almost scored the winner in the 91st minute, making a smart run before firing a low shot across the goal and wide of the far post.
In extra time, Colombian 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 frantic spell as both sides moved forward in search of a winner.
Colombia entered the match in Vancouver, Canada’s last host in the tournament, with one of the toughest defenses in the tournament, having conceded just once in their previous matches.
The Swiss suffered a major setback before kick-off when 20-year-old attacker Johan Manzambi, their star of the tournament with three goals and two assists, was ruled out after suffering a knee injury during training.
pure joy
Switzerland, playing in its sixth consecutive World Cup, has become a model of consistency in qualifying, but progress from 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 they finally overcame that obstacle despite the absence of key players to reach the quarterfinals of a World Cup for the fourth time 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 team ran towards him as celebrations erupted in Vancouver.
BC Place provided a vibrant backdrop, with Colombian fans far outnumbering their Swiss counterparts.
The sea of yellow jerseys transformed the stadium into what seemed like a home game for the South Americans, whose fans generated a relentless atmosphere, roaring at every Colombian attack and booing the Swiss players every time they had the ball.
The Swiss will face Argentina in the quarter-finals in Kansas City after Lionel Scaloni’s side pulled off a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday.
