VANCOUVER : Ruben Vargas converted the winning penalty as Switzerland defeated Colombia 4-3 in a shootout after 120 goalless minutes on Tuesday, sending the Swiss into their first FIFA World Cup quarter-final since 1954.
Switzerland will face defending champions Argentina in Kansas City after Lionel Scaloni’s side staged a dramatic comeback from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 earlier in the day.
The shootout turned in Switzerland’s favour when goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saved Cucho Hernandez’s spot kick after Colombia defender Davinson Sanchez had struck the crossbar with an earlier attempt.
Although Manuel Akanji blazed his penalty over the bar, Vargas calmly slotted home the decisive kick into the bottom corner to spark jubilant celebrations.
“It is very difficult for me to realise what we achieved today,” Vargas said.
“I’m grateful for this moment. It was an amazing match for me. For 120 minutes we gave it all on the pitch. We faced a strong opponent, but now we made history. It was amazing that I could score the decisive penalty.”
Colombia were left heartbroken as they missed out on reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for only the second time, having previously done so in Brazil in 2014.
The best chance of the first half came in the 21st minute when Gustavo Puerta curled a shot towards the far corner from the edge of the area, forcing Kobel into a full-length diving save.
Switzerland responded soon afterwards through Fabian Rieder, whose effort from a tight angle was kept out by Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
The Swiss came closest to snatching victory in normal time when Dan Ndoye darted into the box in the opening minute of stoppage time but dragged his low shot narrowly wide of the far post.
Colombia almost settled the contest in extra time as Jhon Lucumi rose highest to meet a corner, only to see his powerful header crash against the crossbar.
The South Americans entered the match with one of the tournament’s best defensive records, having conceded only once in their previous fixtures.
Switzerland suffered a setback before kickoff when 20-year-old forward Johan Manzambi, who had scored three goals and provided two assists during the tournament, was ruled out after sustaining a knee injury in training.
The victory ended a long wait for Switzerland, who had exited the World Cup in the round of 16 in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022 despite qualifying for six successive tournaments.
It also helped erase memories of their penalty shootout defeat by England in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
BC Place was dominated by Colombia supporters, whose sea of yellow created a vibrant atmosphere throughout, but it was the Swiss players celebrating at the final whistle after Vargas sealed a landmark victory from the penalty spot.
