Switzerland takes a giant step to lead group B and puts a foot and a half in the round of 32. It was a closely contested match, with a strong defense by the Boniacs, but Manzambi’s goal in the 74th minute broke the Balkans’ defensive plan. A few minutes later, a low tackle by Muharemovic on Embolo cost him the red card and the Bosnians were left naked in defense. After the rain of chances, Switzerland hit the table to put the game on track with a goal from Vargas until the 74th minute. The goals came from the 74th minute of the game, after the second. Switzerland took the lead in the 74th minute of the game. Vargas crosses Manzambi’s ball to take the ball to the back of the net. The goal came after the Balkans managed to balance the game in the second half after overwhelming Swiss dominance in the first. Sergej Barbarez’s Bosnians have played until the goal with an unorthodox scheme: in practice they have played with eight defenders: four center backs and four pivots and two forwards, Dzeko and Demirovic. In the first half, a much more combative Switzerland dominated the match. In the final minutes of the first half, the Bosnian-Herzegovina gained verticality and the match turned into a give and take. Switzerland comes from tying and Bosnia from playing against. Both teams are trying to break the four-way tie in the group to get a foothold in the next phase of the World Cup. It is Switzerland’s sixth consecutive participation in the World Cup, and in five of them they have fallen in the round of 32. In the last Euro 2024 they were eliminated in the quarterfinals on penalties against England. As for Bosnia, it is their second participation in a World Cup after Brazil 2014, where they fell in the group stage. Barbarez’s team enters this edition with high morale after eliminating Wales and Italy in an epic playoffs. An aggressive defense and direct football are the recipe for a team that wants to surprise up front with its star Dzeko.
