Switzerland ended a drought that predated World War II. On Friday in Vancouver, they beat Algeria 2-0 to win a knockout match at the men’s World Cup for the first time since 1938. Think about that. The last time they did this, the tournament was still using a straight knockout format and Switzerland had to beat Nazi Germany just to get there. This one was a lot less dramatic but just as significant.
Breel Embolo got things started in the 10th minute. Johan Manzambi ran the left flank, got to the end line, and picked out Embolo at the near post for a tap-in. That was basically the game. Algeria never really recovered.
Dan Ndoye made it 2-0 early in the second half. Embolo whipped a cross in, the Algerian defense failed to clear it, and the Nottingham Forest midfielder collected the ball just outside the box and hammered it past Luca Zidane. Zidane, by the way, is the son of that other Zidane, and he didn’t have much help from his back line on either goal.
Algeria Never Got Going
Ramiz Zerrouki had an early penalty shout waved away and that was Algeria’s best moment. Riyad Mahrez forced a last-ditch tackle in the second half but never really threatened to score. Algeria looked flat, which is a problem when you’re trying to make the knockout stage for the first time since 2014.
Switzerland should have put this one away earlier. Fabian Rieder somehow shot straight at Zidane with an open net after Denis Zakaria set him up. Remo Freuler forced a save from Zidane in stoppage time from 20 yards. It didn’t matter. The game was already over.
Switzerland now faces either Colombia or Ghana in the round of 16. That’s a winnable game. And for a program that has been stuck in the “solid but not spectacular” category for decades, that matters a lot.
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