TalismanDeveloping
Switzerland put Bosnia & Herzegovina to the sword
Switzerland 4, Bosnia & Herzegovina 1. A statement in the group stage — they didn't just win, they sent a message. The kind of result that makes the rest of the field sit up.
Switzerland v Bosnia & Herzegovina
71OurXI Strength58
★ The storyline
Why it matters
Group stage, Group B — points on the line.
Who to watch
Talisman
Granit Xhaka
Switzerland
The midfield metronome who knits the whole side together and carries the weight of expectation.
vs
Talisman
Edin Dzeko
Bosnia & Herzegovina
The seasoned focal point up top whose presence still shapes everything Bosnia do going forward.
Developing
Switzerland are through to the last 32
Switzerland are into the last 32. Job done in the group, and now the tournament really begins — one-and-done from here, every match a final.
Bosnia & Herzegovina are through to the last 32
Bosnia & Herzegovina have squeezed through as one of the best third-placed sides. Not the comfortable route — but a place in the last 32 is a place in the last 32, and the knockouts don't care how you got there.
Switzerland hold their nerve
Level at 0–0 with Colombia after 120 minutes in the last 16, so it came down to the spot — and Switzerland held their nerve, 4–3. There's no harder way to win a football match, and no better feeling when the last one hits the net.
Switzerland keep it tidy and take it
Switzerland 2, Algeria 0. A clean sheet and a comfortable win in the round of 32 — no fuss, no scare, exactly the sort of statement that puts a marker down for the rest of the field.