Switzerland Beat Colombia On Penalties At World Cup 2026

Switzerland are through to the World Cup quarterfinals after beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties following a 0-0 draw after extra time at BC Place in Vancouver.

Rubén Vargas scored the decisive penalty, placing his shot into the bottom-left corner after Gregor Kobel had saved from Cucho Hernández earlier in the shootout. Davinson Sánchez also missed for Colombia, striking the crossbar, while Manuel Akanji sent Switzerland’s third penalty over the bar.

Granit Xhaka, Zeki Amdouni, Cedric Itten and Vargas converted for Switzerland. Juan Fernando Quintero, Jáminton Campaz and Luis Díaz scored for Colombia, but Néstor Lorenzo’s side could not recover from two failed attempts.

The win sends Switzerland into a quarterfinal against Argentina, who advanced with a dramatic 3-2 win over Egypt.

Kobel Delivers In Shootout

Kobel was central to Switzerland’s progress. The goalkeeper made a key stop in the shootout, diving to his right to deny Hernández after Colombia had a chance to move ahead following Akanji’s miss.

He also made important saves during the match, including a first-half stop from Gustavo Puerta and a strong extra-time save from Campaz, whose dipping effort looked dangerous.

Camilo Vargas also played a major role for Colombia, saving from Fabian Rieder and Dan Ndoye in regulation before denying Amdouni from close range in extra time. The Colombian goalkeeper got a hand to Xhaka’s penalty in the shootout, but could not keep it out.

Colombia Waste Best Chances

The match produced few clear opportunities in normal time. Colombia had the better early chance when Puerta curled an effort toward the top corner, but Kobel tipped it behind.

Switzerland’s best chance in regulation came shortly after halftime, when Ndoye worked into the area and cut the ball back for Djibril Sow. The substitute sent his effort wide from a promising position.

The game became more open in extra time. Jhon Lucumí hit the crossbar with a powerful header from Quintero’s corner in the 99th minute, and Campaz later forced Kobel into a sharp save.

Campaz then missed the clearest chance of the match in the 116th minute. After Daniel Muñoz clipped the ball into his path, Campaz was left one-on-one with Kobel but fired over the bar.

Switzerland Extend Knockout Run

Switzerland entered the match after winning Group B and beating Algeria 2-0 in the last 32. Their victory over Colombia gives them back-to-back knockout wins at a World Cup for the first time.

The match was also another low-scoring contest in a tournament knockout round where margins have been narrow. For readers comparing form, team trends and future quarterfinal markets, soccer betting sites will now shift focus to Switzerland’s meeting with Argentina.

Colombia’s exit ends its tournament in the round of 16. The South American side had reached this stage after beating Ghana 1-0 in the last 32, but could not find a breakthrough despite finishing extra time with the stronger chances.

Switzerland will now prepare for Argentina, with a place in the semifinals at stake.