Switzerland have officially entered uncharted territory, and even their normally reserved coach Murat Yakin couldn't help but call it "the best World Cup in the history of the Nati." Two knockout wins in a single tournament for the first time ever has the Swiss dreaming bigger than they ever have before, and their reward is a quarter-final date with defending champions Argentina in Kansas City. No big deal, just the most successful team in the tournament staring you down.
The group stage didn't exactly start with a bang. Qatar held Switzerland to a 1-1 draw in San Francisco after Breel Embolo's early penalty was cancelled out by a Miro Muheim own goal in stoppage time. Not the opening Yakin had in mind, and Mahmoud Abunada in Qatar's goal deserved a standing ovation for his performance. Against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Los Angeles, the Swiss decided to save all the entertainment for the final fifteen minutes. All four goals came after the 74th minute, with super-sub Manzambi breaking the deadlock just two minutes after coming on. Ruben Vargas added another, and Granit Xhaka sealed it with a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time, because apparently Switzerland only do drama.
The Canada clash in Vancouver was where the Swiss really showed their teeth, defeating the co-hosts 2-1 to top a World Cup group for just the second time ever. Gregor Kobel was an immovable object at one end, while Vargas and the sensational 20-year-old Manzambi did the damage at the other. Canada's late goal was nothing more than a footnote.
The Round of 32 brought a reunion with former coach Vladimir Petkovic, now managing Algeria, and Switzerland showed zero sentimentality. Embolo and Dan Ndoye scored early in each half, and Kobel notched the team's first clean sheet of the tournament in a professional 2-0 victory. Businesslike and efficient, the Swiss way.
The Round of 16 against Colombia was an altogether different beast. Without the injured Manzambi, their attacking sparkplug, Switzerland had to grind through 120 goalless minutes against a talented Colombian side at BC Place. Kobel came up huge, saving from Cucho Hernandez in the shootout, and Ruben Vargas fired home the winning penalty to send Switzerland to their first quarter-final since 1954. Xhaka's "special generation" had delivered when it mattered most, and now the ultimate test awaits. Argentina, the defending champions, stand between Switzerland and immortality. The question on everyone's lips: will Manzambi, the youngest player ever to rack up five goal involvements in a single World Cup, be fit? Either way, this Swiss side has a spine of steel and the kind of quiet confidence that makes dangerous opponents very nervous indeed.
