Switzerland 2-0 Algeria: Embolo and Ndoye break 88-year World Cup hoodoo
Switzerland cruised past Algeria 2-0 at BC Place in Vancouver to break their 88-year World Cup knockout hoodoo and comfortably book a spot in the Round of 16.
The Swiss, who had tasted elimination in each of their previous seven World Cup knockout appearances dating back to 1938, put on a masterclass of tournament football at a packed BC Place. Murat Yakin’s side completely nullified the African giants, managing the game with a tactical maturity that suggested they could go deep in this tournament.
It took just 10 minutes for Switzerland to break the deadlock, exposing Algeria down the left flank. The effervescent 20-year-old winger Johan Manzambi, living up to his rising tournament billing, used his blistering pace to burst free before squaring a perfectly weighted pass across the six-yard box. Breel Embolo was perfectly positioned to tap the ball home into an empty net, sparking wild celebrations from the traveling Swiss contingent.
Algeria, managed by former long-serving Swiss boss Vladimir Petkovic, struggled to recover from the early setback. Without the space to operate, former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez was effectively marshaled by the formidable central midfield pairing of Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler. The Desert Foxes’ best opening of the first half fell to Ibrahim Maza in stoppage time, but his snapped effort flew harmlessly wide of Gregor Kobel’s near post.
Any hopes Petkovic had of rallying his troops at the interval were entirely shattered within 60 seconds of the restart. Algeria failed twice to properly clear their lines inside the penalty area following a crossing sequence, and a weak defensive header fell straight to Dan Ndoye. The Nottingham Forest winger kept his composure beautifully, taking a touch before slotting a precise finish past the despairing dive of Luca Zidane.
Down by two, Algeria committed bodies forward, but the Swiss defense remained an unyielding wall. Petkovic rung the changes on 70 minutes, pulling off Mahrez and Nabil Bentaleb, but their substitutes met the same organized resistance. In truth, Switzerland looked more likely to extend their lead on the counter-attack, and substitute Fabian Rieder somehow contrived to miss a glorious chance late on, weakly scuffing his shot back to Zidane with the goal at his mercy.
It mattered little to the outcome as the final whistle prompted scenes of immense relief for the Swiss, who can look forward to a Tuesday meeting back in Vancouver against either Colombia or Ghana. For Algeria, a frustrating night concluded a World Cup campaign that simply ran out of answers against a superior, disciplined opponent.
