Switzerland booked their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter finals for the first time since 1954 after defeating Colombia 4-3 on penalties following a tense 0-0 draw after extra time at BC Place in Vancouver.
Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel emerged as the hero in the shootout with a crucial save before Ruben Vargas calmly converted the winning penalty to send Switzerland into the last eight, where they will face defending champions Argentina.
The match was the fifth meeting between the two nations and only their second at the World Cup. Colombia won the previous World Cup encounter 2-0 during the 1994 group stage through goals from Herman Gaviria and Harold Lozano.
Colombia started the brighter of the two sides and James Rodriguez made history in the 19th minute by becoming the first Colombian player to make 11 World Cup starts.
Two minutes later, Colombia created the best chance of the opening half. Kevin Puerta cut inside and curled a superb effort toward the top corner, but Kobel produced an excellent save to tip the ball behind. James delivered the resulting corner, but Switzerland cleared the danger.
Switzerland gradually settled into the contest after the hydration break. Fabian Rieder tested Camilo Vargas with a one on one effort in the 31st minute before Dan Ndoye forced another save two minutes later with a powerful strike from the left side of the penalty area.
Colombia responded immediately. Luis Diaz worked space inside the box, but his effort was blocked before Puerta fired the rebound well over the crossbar.
Neither side could find a breakthrough before the interval. Colombia enjoyed more attacking possession and finished the first half with a superior expected goals figure of 0.25 compared to Switzerland’s 0.06, although clear chances remained scarce.
Switzerland threatened again early in the second half. Rieder won a free kick around 20 yards from goal before curling a dangerous effort into the side netting in the 53rd minute, briefly fooling many supporters into believing he had scored.
Colombia missed a golden opportunity in the 64th minute. Luis Suarez found himself in acres of space just outside the penalty area, but completely sliced his effort wide when he should have tested Kobel.
The match remained evenly balanced as both teams struggled to take control. With full time approaching, Opta’s live projections increasingly pointed toward extra time.
Switzerland almost snatched victory in stoppage time. Manuel Akanji played an excellent through ball into Ndoye’s path, but the forward dragged his shot harmlessly across the face of goal.
Extra time finally brought more excitement after a cagey 90 minutes. Colombia came within inches of breaking the deadlock in the 99th minute when Juan Fernando Quintero’s excellent corner found Jhon Lucumi, whose powerful header crashed against the crossbar.
Just two minutes later, Deportivo Campaz cut inside and unleashed a dipping effort that looked destined for the corner before Kobel reacted brilliantly with an instinctive punch to keep the scores level.
Switzerland almost found the breakthrough themselves in the 104th minute. Substitute Zeki Amdouni squeezed a shot through several defenders from close range, but Vargas stayed alert to make an excellent save.
Colombia continued to push after the break in extra time. Quintero bent a shot narrowly wide in the 112th minute before Campaz wasted the biggest opportunity of the match four minutes later.
After a long ball caught Manuel Akanji and Granit Xhaka out of position, Daniel Munoz slipped Campaz through on goal. With only Kobel to beat, the Colombian forward blazed his effort high over the crossbar, leaving teammates and supporters stunned.
Neither side could find the decisive goal, forcing the contest into a dramatic penalty shootout.
Quintero confidently converted Colombia’s opening penalty before Xhaka levelled for Switzerland despite Vargas getting a hand to the ball.
Colombia then suffered the first setback when Davinson Sanchez smashed his penalty against the crossbar. Amdouni calmly punished the miss by sending Vargas the wrong way to give Switzerland the advantage.
Campaz squeezed his penalty under Kobel to level the shootout at 2-2 before Switzerland missed their chance to pull clear as Akanji blasted his effort over the crossbar.
Colombia failed to take advantage. Hernandez struck his penalty with power, but Kobel guessed correctly and produced a superb save to hand Switzerland the initiative once again.
Cedric Itten confidently fired his spot kick straight down the middle before Luis Diaz kept Colombia alive with a perfectly placed finish into the bottom corner.
Ruben Vargas then stepped forward with everything on the line and calmly tucked his penalty into the bottom left corner to seal a dramatic 4-3 shootout victory for Switzerland.
The final whistle sparked emotional celebrations among the Swiss players, who rushed to embrace Vargas after securing the country’s first World Cup quarter final appearance since hosting the tournament in 1954.
Despite being heavily outnumbered by Colombian supporters inside BC Place, the small section of Swiss fans celebrated wildly as their team held firm under intense pressure before delivering in the penalty shootout.
It was another heartbreaking World Cup exit for Colombia, who also suffered penalty shootout disappointment against England in the 2018 round of 16. Lucumi’s header against the crossbar and Campaz’s late miss proved especially costly before Sanchez’s penalty miss and Kobel’s save from Hernandez sealed their fate.
Switzerland now march into the quarter finals with confidence, although an enormous challenge awaits against reigning champions Argentina in Kansas City on Saturday.
