Breel Embolo’s goal in the 11th minute on Thursday established Switzerland’s momentum for a victory en route to the round of 16, with hopes of reaching the quarterfinals for the fourth time in its World Cup history.
Winger Johan Manzambi, Switzerland’s biggest offensive threat in the tournament so far, received a pass in Algeria’s end just past the halfway line and built up a full head of steam before sprinting past defenders to the touchline. He then cut back a short pass into the run of Embola, who only needed to tap the ball into the net.
Other than the goal, it was fairly even in the first half before a packed Vancouver stadium. Algeria had slightly more possession of the ball, and both sides tallied two shots on goal.
Algeria got off to a strong start, with sequences of short, quick passes and give-and-goes around the Swiss penalty box. Algeria completed 279 passes compared to Switzerland’s 175. The Swiss defense forced 16 turnovers, compared to Algeria’s 11 forced turnovers.
Just one minute into the second half, Switzerland scored again following a bad clearance by the Algerian defense. The ball landed right in front of winger Dan Ndoye. From about 18 yards out, he had enough time and space to line up a strike to the bottom left corner, past goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
Algeria subbed in two attacking players, hoping to get a goal back quickly. It also shifted attacking tactics, playing more balls up the wings to minimize turnovers in the middle and slow down the speedy Swiss counterattack.
Switzerland, comfortable with the lead, subbed in two more defensive-minded players with 20 minutes left in the game. Algeria began to re-establish the sharp ball movement it enjoyed in the first half, but its forwards forced shots from distance and failed to register an attempt on target for the entire second half.
Switzerland nearly scored again late in the second half. Midfielder Denis Zakaria sent a precise low cross to Fabian Rieder inches from the goal line, but Rieder lost his footing and missed the tap-in.
Switzerland, never considered a world soccer power, has flown under the radar. The squad has lost only one of its past 17 matches and went undefeated in group play with seven goals.
“It was very difficult to find spaces and have the chances,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said during the post-game press conference. “It was important to score at the right moment. After that, we dominated on the pitch.”
In a pre-game interview with Fox Sports, Algeria captain and star player Riyad Mahrez, 35, said this will be his final World Cup. He previously represented his nation in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
