Switzerland ‘to stay humble, keep working’ after beating Algeria to reach World Cup last 16
Victory was the Swiss’ first in knockout stage since 1938, will now face the winner of Friday’s clash between Colombia and Ghana
Switzerland’s Breel Embolo struck early and Dan Ndoye added a second after the break as they cruised to a 2-0 win over Algeria on Thursday 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’s 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.
They 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.
“We couldn’t underestimate Algeria and we had to be clinical, that clinical finishing made the difference today,” striker Embolo said.
“It 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.”