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Finally. Switzerland ends 88-year World Cup knockout drought, routs Algeria
Eighty-eight years. That's how long Switzerland waited to win a World Cup knockout game. They broke the curse, or whatever you want to call it, by stomping Algeria 2-0 in Vancouver. A last-16 spot, finally, after decades of futility.
3 Jul 2026 · via skysports.com
Preview & stats: Colombia v Ghana →
Seven straight knockout exits. That was Switzerland's dismal tournament record before Friday. Talk about a monkey on their back. Breel Embolo, 10th minute. Dan Ndoye, the Nottingham Forest man, just before halftime. Goals from those two settled it. A commanding win, no question.
Algeria, bless their hearts, started bright enough. But Switzerland's backline was having none of it. Riyad Mahrez, that former Manchester City winger, managed only one sniff at goal. Manuel Akanji, his old teammate, snuffed it out. The North Africans didn't lay a glove on Murat Yakin's boys.
The Swiss even had chances to really run up the score. Fabian Rieder, off the bench, fluffed a sitter late on. Who cares? It was a professional job, through and through. Now, Switzerland faces the winner of Colombia versus Ghana on Tuesday evening in Vancouver. Don't look now, but this might just be their most serious World Cup tilt in living memory. Stranger things have happened, I suppose.
Betting angle
The Swiss defence? Stingy. That clean sheet, combined with those early goals, makes them an interesting proposition against whoever they get next — Colombia or Ghana. Their knockout pedigree is, shall we say, 'developing,' but they've shown enough to merit a look.
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