Spot-on Swiss Punish Wasteful Colombia to Set Up Date with Messi

Switzerland, who began the game without Johan Manzambi after he injured his knee just before kick-off, had their last shot on target in the 32nd minute.

Colombia, who began slowly, grew into the game and finished much the stronger in extra time. But almost from the start, this was a game that looked destined to be a stalemate and to go to penalties – the very opposite of the thriller in Atlanta earlier in the day.

This was always going to be one of those games that would open up only if there was an early goal. Once there wasn’t, each team settled into its patterns. Switzerland, missing Manzambi’s thrust and ingenuity down the left, remained as solid and organised as they have been for most of the tournament. Colombia, who were so impressive even in the goalless draw against Portugal, made most of the running but could not find the pass or the touch that mattered in the final third.

Ultimately, however, football is about scoring goals. It is not about possession stats or xG, and this is something Colombia have found difficult throughout their history. The three greatest modern-day Colombian strikers, for example – Radamel Falcao, Faustino Asprilla and Adolfo ‘El Tren’ Valencia – not one of them managed an international goals-per-game ratio of even 0.4. In one sense, this is a testament to how tough South American football has become, but in another it is also evidence of how the pressures of international football test even the very best.

Luis Suárez, who led the line for Colombia, had his first prolific season in the top flight of any league in 2025-26, scoring 28 times for Sporting Lisbon. He has five goals in 17 international appearances. On the surface, that looks like a conversion rate similar to the very best, but dig a little deeper and four of those goals came in a single game against Venezuela.

This is not to pin the blame on Suárez alone. Others had their chances too. Luis Díaz, who had such an outstanding season with Bayern Munich, was unable to make his usual impact, with the Swiss defence staying resolutely compact throughout. James Rodríguez, too, could not supply the magical assist that we have come to expect from him.

Make no mistake, Switzerland rode their luck, especially after Manuel Akanji blasted into orbit with his penalty.

Colombia’s penalties were even worse, and at some point fans around the world are going to ask why coaches keep asking central defenders to step up in shoot-outs, especially when so many of them walk up like lambs to the slaughter. If you’re a forward and you refuse to take a kick in a shoot-out, should you even be in the team? If you’re that mentally fragile, what place do you have on the biggest stage?

So many questions. And no answers for Colombia, most of whose fans would have been licking their lips at the prospect of a quarter-final against a very vulnerable Argentina next Saturday. Instead, Los Cafeteros head home wondering what might have been.

This was a World Cup that seemed destined to belong to the outsiders, one where we might finally have seen a new name on the trophy. Instead, the old order has reasserted itself emphatically, with six European teams and Argentina taking their places in the last eight.

For the Swiss, who last reached this stage in 1954 on home soil, this is very much new ground. But don’t write them off against Lionel Messi and company. Under Murat Yakin, this is a team that has learned how to win. More importantly, this is a team that are very hard to beat.

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