Four Goals in 20 Minutes. Three Subs Changed Everything. Switzerland Crushes Bosnia.

Switzerland spent 70 minutes looking like a team that forgot how to finish. Then Murat Yakin emptied his bench, and everything flipped in a hurry.

The final score: Switzerland 4, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1. But the real story is how a triple substitution and one red card turned a frustrating stalemate into a runaway win that sent the Swiss to the top of Group B at the World Cup.

For most of the match in Los Angeles, the Swiss had all the possession and none of the punch. Captain Granit Xhaka threaded passes through the middle. Dan Ndoye fired into the side netting. Remo Freuler whistled a shot wide. Bosnia’s defense, led by Turak Muharemovic, stayed compact and patient. Nikola Vasilj in goal barely broke a sweat.

Edin Dzeko, all 40 years of him, floated a ball toward Benjamin Tahirovic in one of Bosnia’s few attacks. Kerim Alajbegovic forced a save from Freuler on the goal line. At halftime, it was 0-0 and Switzerland had to be wondering if they were headed for another draw like the one against Qatar.

Yakin waited until the 71st minute to make his move. He sent on Ruben Vargas, Johan Manzambi, and another sub. Three minutes later, the game was over.

Vargas lifted a cross into the box. Bosnia’s clearance was short. Manzambi, the youngest player on Switzerland’s roster, caught it on the volley and guided it into the top right corner. 1-0. The stadium exhaled.

Then Bosnia’s night got worse. Muharemovic slid in late on Breel Embolo as the last defender. Red card. Ten men. Down a goal. And Vargas was just getting started.

The Sevilla winger stepped up to the free kick and rifled it into Vasilj’s side of the net. But that was only the beginning of the sequence. A quick Swiss attack ended with Vargas stroking a finish into the bottom corner. 2-0. Bosnia was unraveling.

Manzambi made it 3-0 in the 87th minute. Vargas darted behind the defense, pulled the ball back, and Manzambi tapped in his second of the night. A guy who started his career as a goalkeeper was suddenly the star of the show in front of goal.

Bosnia grabbed a consolation when 21-year-old Ermin Mahmic smashed in a volley. It didn’t matter. Amar Memic fouled Djibril Sow in the box. Xhaka buried the penalty. 4-1. Knockout blow delivered.

Switzerland now sits alone atop Group B with one game left against co-hosts Canada. Win or draw there, and they’re into the Round of 16 for the fourth straight World Cup. For a team that couldn’t score for 70 minutes, that’s a pretty good place to be.