It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t overly convincing, but Switzerland were able to pick up their first win of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday.
Previous Results
The first matchday had seen them dominate possession and chances, only to squander a late equalizer to Qatar in Santa Clara. As for Bosnia & Herzegovina, their dogged defending paid off en route to a 1-1 draw against Canada in Toronto. As such, all four teams in Group B entered the second matchday with precisely one point, one goal scored, and one conceded.
“In the first game, we had a lot of chances…already in the first half, we didn’t score. I think this was the message: we had to be efficient in front of goal. If we have the chances, we have to score, but also stay in the game always,” stated Switzerland’s Michel Aebischer to Hooligan Soccer.
“Even if we don’t score early, like we did today, we have to stay in the game and continue, never change, and try to do the same as always, and then it will come good. We saw that today.”
After a morale-sapping stalemate, Switzerland manager Murat Yakin went with a couple of changes to his line-up with Silvan Widmer and Fabian Rieder coming in for Denis Zakaria and Rubén Vargas. Bosnia manager Sergej Barbarez, meanwhile, replaced Ivan Bašić, Esmir Bajraktarević and Jovo Lukić with Kerim Alajbegović, Ivan Šunjić, and Edin Džeko.
How it Played
To nobody’s surprise, Switzerland dominated the early goings and pinned the Bosnians deep into their own half, but Barbarez reacted by switching to a 5-3-2 and keeping them cohesive defensively. Switzerland, meanwhile, continued to enjoy the majority of possession, but were unable to make it count against the deep block of Bosnia.
“I think we defended well together as a team. I know that it wasn’t an easy game in the first few minutes, but I think we did a great job to not lose our heads,” stated Swiss defender Luca Jaquez to Hooligan Soccer. “Even when Bosnia was defending very deep, we still tried to create chances, we kept going all the time. Even when it was 0-0 at halftime, we didn’t lose our heads. We kept going, and it was a deserved win in the end.”
Super Subs Make an Impact
However, the tide started to turn after the second hydration break, with Yakin making a triple substitution: Djibril Sow, Johan Manzambi and Vargas came on for Aebischer, Dan Ndoye, and Rieder. And within just seconds of coming on, Vargas and Manzambi combined to open the scoring, with the latter slamming home a volley and firing it into the top of the net.
“For me, playing for my country is the biggest honor. It’s very nice. It’s my first World Cup, but I hope it’s not the last for me,” stated Manzambi to Hooligan Soccer after the game. Having led Freiburg to the UEFA Europa League Final, Manzambi continued to prove why he is one of the brightest talents in Europe, filtering a through ball to Breel Embolo and prompting Tarik Muharemović to slide in and see red.
From that point on, it was one-way traffic, with Embolo teeing up Vargas for the second goal shortly after. Vargas, meanwhile, would find Manzambi for the third goal in the 90th minute. They weren’t the only super subs, however, with Ermin Mahmić beating Gregor Kobel with a well-executed finish to secure a consolation goal in extra time.
“We have our principles and try to stick to them as best as possible,” stated Mahmić to Hooligan Soccer. “We have our plan for every game and we try to do our best, but in the end, it didn’t work out today. We’ll try to do it better next time.”
A Late Flurry of Goals
With no goals to speak of for the first three-quarters, the final quarter of the match produced a whopping five goals, with Granit Xhaka firing in a penalty goal to secure a 4-1 victory. But Switzerland’s lead atop Group B did not last long, with Canada demolishing a 9-man Qatar side by a 6-0 scoreline in Vancouver.
It means that, when Switzerland and Canada will face off on Wednesday in Vancouver, they will be vying for sole control of Group B. A win for Switzerland would see them finish atop the group and face off against a third-placed team from Group E, Group F, Group G, Group I, or Group J. Meanwhile, Bosnia and Qatar will compete in Seattle for the chance to sneak in as a third-placed team.
“I think it was a deserved win because we had the ball most of the time,” stated Switzerland goalkeeper Yvonn Mvogo to Hooligan Soccer. “But we had a strong opponent in front of us, so we had to be patient, and of course, it took a bit of time to find the net. But at the end, we did it as a team.”
“It was really important today to do it as a team because you know you’re in a World Cup and you’re going to face tough teams like Bosnia that wait for you. You’re going to have possession, but the most important is to score goals, and we’re happy to have done that.”
Looking Forward
Whilst Canada will be able to seal first place with a stalemate, Switzerland need a win in British Columbia. Yakin will certainly have plenty of food for thought as he attempts to find his best line-up, with Manzambi and Vargas’ youthful disposition clearly giving them an extra edge against tired legs.
“[Manzambi] is a young guy who’s good and has special talent…we know this, but at the end, it’s not only him,” stated Aebischer to Hooligan Soccer. “We are a team of 26 players, and for sure, we are happy for him, but it doesn’t matter who scores for us. At the end, we just have to win.”
Switzerland will be looking to close out the group stage with a win against Canada, and if they can do so, they will commence their knockout round journey on July 2 in Vancouver. If they lose or draw, however, they will likely finish second and start their knockout round journey on June 28 in Los Angeles against the top-ranked team in Group A.
