LOS ANGELES : Switzerland moved into a strong position to reach the World Cup round of 32 with a commanding 4-1 victory over 10-man Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Group B match on Wednesday.
Johann Manzambi scored twice as Switzerland pulled away late in the contest, with Robin Vargas and Granit Xhaka also finding the net to secure the emphatic win at Los Angeles Stadium.
After a closely contested opening period, Manzambi broke the deadlock in the 74th minute before Bosnia’s task became even more difficult when Tarik Muharemovic was shown a straight red card six minutes later.
Vargas doubled Switzerland’s advantage in the 84th minute and Manzambi struck again in the 90th minute to put the result beyond doubt.
Bosnia briefly reduced the deficit through Ermin Mahmic in stoppage time, but Xhaka converted a penalty in the 97th minute to complete the scoring.
The victory lifted Switzerland to four points from two matches, putting them top of Group B and in a strong position ahead of their final group-stage encounter against Canada.
Bosnia and Herzegovina remained on one point after two games, level with Qatar and Canada, who were due to meet later on Wednesday.
Switzerland opened their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Qatar, while Bosnia and Herzegovina also began the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Canada.
