Switzerland beat Algeria 2-0 to reach World Cup Round of 16 in style

Switzerland stay unbeaten astatine the 2026 World Cup and volition look either Colombia oregon Ghana successful the adjacent game.

Switzerland ‌striker Breel Embolo struck aboriginal and winger Dan Ndoye added a 2nd arsenic their broadside ⁠cruised to a 2-0 ⁠win implicit Algeria connected Thursday and into the past 16 astatine the FIFA World Cup, wherever they volition conscionable Colombia oregon Ghana backmost successful Vancouver adjacent week.

Murat Yakin’s Swiss ⁠side enactment connected a tactical masterclass, shifting formations and laying traps for Algeria earlier hitting them with 2 sucker-punch goals that decided a contention abbreviated connected excitement, but afloat of intrigue and nuance.

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Pitted ⁠against a acquainted foe successful Algeria manager Vladimir Petkovic, who had 7 years astatine the helm of Switzerland betwixt 2014 and 2021, Yakin acceptable his squad up to sorb aboriginal unit and onslaught connected the break, and that is precisely what they did.

Their opener was arsenic elemental arsenic it was effective.

Breel Embolo #7 of Switzerland celebrates scoring his archetypal extremity of the tourney [Fran Santiago/Getty Images via AFP]

The Swiss won ‌the shot successful their ain fractional and sent 20-year-old Johan Manzambi disconnected down the near connected the counter, and helium squared for Embolo to steer the shot into the nett from adjacent scope successful the 10th minute.

The pb secured, Switzerland shifted to a five-man midfield retired of possession, snuffing retired the abstraction and challenging the Algerians to play done them, but Petkovic’s charges struggled to interruption their opponents down.

Algeria’s champion accidental came successful first-half stoppage clip erstwhile Ibrahim Maza dragged ⁠a drawback changeable wide of the adjacent post, 1 of the fewer efforts ⁠on extremity they managed successful the game.

Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye celebrates scoring their 2nd extremity [Lee Smith/Reuters]

The Swiss struck again astir instantly aft the break, attacking down the close earlier a half-hearted clearance from Rafik Belghali ended up astatine the feet of Ndoye, and the winger placed his changeable beyond the ⁠dive of goalkeeper Luca Zidane.

Algeria skipper Riyad Mahrez could person pulled a extremity backmost moments later, but helium fired consecutive astatine a defender from ⁠a cardinal position, summing up a frustrating evening for the Algerians.

With Granit Xhaka steering Switzerland’s antiaircraft shape, they reverted to their archetypal crippled program of ceding possession and launching lightning-fast counterattacks, but the Algerians were wary of committing players forward, lest they concede again.

Despite the sellout assemblage astatine BC Place, the past 15 ‌minutes were played successful virtual silence, lone breached by cheers and past groans arsenic Swiss substitute Fabian Rieder someway contrived to miss with the extremity astatine his mercy, scuffing his changeable backmost crossed ‌goal ‌where a grateful Zidane was capable to avert the danger.

Fortunately for Switzerland, it had nary bearing connected the result arsenic they celebrated moving into a last-16 clash connected Tuesday.

Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez looks dejected aft the 2nd extremity scored by Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye [Anne-Marie Sorvin/Imagn Images via Reuters]