NEW YORK
\nSwitzerland\u2019s Breel Embolo struck early and Dan Ndoye added a second after the break as they cruised to a 2-0 win over Algeria and into the last 16 at the World Cup, where they will meet Colombia or Ghana back in Vancouver next week. The victory was Switzerland\u2019s first in the knockout stage since 1938, and they will fancy their chances in the next round after a tactical masterclass orchestrated by coach Murat Yakin.
\nThey shifted formations and laid traps for Algeria before hitting them with two sucker-punch goals that decided a contest short on excitement, but full of intrigue and nuance.Pitted against a familiar foe in Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic, who had seven years at the helm of Switzerland between 2014 and 2021, Yakin set his team up to absorb early pressure and strike on the break, and that is exactly what they did.
\n\u201cWe couldn\u2019t underestimate Algeria and we had to be clinical, that clinical finishing made the difference today,\u201d striker Embolo said. \u201cIt gave us the energy we needed in the first half. We could have been even more ruthless in the second half. We played with great maturity. We have to stay humble and keep working.\u201dSwitzerland\u2019s opener was as simple as it was effective.
\nThey won the ball in their own half and sent 20-year-old Johan Manzambi off down the left on the counter, and he squared for Embolo to steer the ball into the net from close range in the 10th minute.The lead secured, Switzerland shifted to a five-man midfield out of possession, snuffing out the space and challenging the Algerians to play through them, but Petkovic\u2019s charges struggled to break their opponents down.
\nAlgeria\u2019s best chance came in first-half stoppage time when Ibrahim Maza dragged a snap shot wide of the near post, one of few efforts on goal they managed in the game.
\nThe Swiss struck again almost immediately after the break, attacking down the right before a half-hearted clearance from Rafik Belghali ended up at the feet of Ndoye and the winger placed his shot beyond the dive of goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
\nAlgeria captain Riyad Mahrez could have pulled a goal back moments later but he fired straight at a defender from a central position, summing up a frustrating evening for the Algerians.
\nWith Granit Xhaka steering Switzerland\u2019s defensive shape, they went back to their original game-plan of ceding possession and launching lightning-fast counter-attacks, but the Algerians were wary of committing players forward lest they concede again.
\nDespite the sell-out crowd at BC Place, the last 15 minutes were played in virtual silence, only broken by cheers and then groans as Swiss substitute Fabian Rieder somehow contrived to miss with the goal at his mercy, scuffing his shot back across goal where a grateful Zidane was able to avert the danger. Fortunately for Switzerland it had no bearing on the outcome as they celebrated moving into a last-16 clash on Tuesday.
\nNdoye capped a superb performance with his well-taken goal, revealing he had waited a long time for it. \u201cBefore the World Cup, I hadn\u2019t played for a long time, so I had to get back into the swing of things. I was really looking for that goal, and sometimes when you look for it too much, it doesn\u2019t come,\u201d the Nottingham Forest said.
\n\u201cToday, I started playing by telling myself, \u2018Just play the way you know how, don\u2019t overthink it,\u2019 and it came naturally. Our strength is knowing how to play as a team.\u201dAlgeria captain Riyad Mahrez announced that the game was his last for the national team.\u201dThe goal was to progress, and I think it was a game that was within our reach. We conceded two goals on mistakes, and at this level, we pay dearly for that,\u201d he said.
\nAsked if Thursday\u2019s defeat would be his last match at the World Cup, the 35-year-old went one step further. \u201cIt\u2019s my last appearance even with the national team. It was my last game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK Switzerland\u2019s Breel Embolo struck early and Dan Ndoye added a second after the break as they cruised to a 2-0 win over Algeria and into the last 16 at the World Cup, where they will meet Colombia or Ghana back in Vancouver next week. The victory was Switzerland\u2019s first in the knockout stage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-554393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n