Embolo, Ndoye score and Switzerland
moves on at the World Cup with a 2-0 win over Algeria
[July 03, 2026]
By ANNE M. PETERSON
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Switzerland finally broke through
with a win in a World Cup knockout match.
Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye both scored and the Swiss advanced to the
round of 16 at the World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Algeria on
Thursday night.
Switzerland will play the winner of Friday's match between Colombia
and Ghana in Kansas City, Missouri. The round-of-16 game is set for
next Tuesday in Vancouver.
Switzerland had not won a knockout-round match since 1938 in France,
but in 1954 the team won a playoff game to reach the quarterfinals.
Although the Swiss reached the round of 16 at the past three World
Cups, there was a smaller field of 32 teams in each of those
tournaments, and they could get no further.
“Today we write one page of history, but we want more, and we work
for more,” Ndoye said. “I think we show that we are a strong team,
and now we need to show it in the next game, and we hope again to
the next game.”
Celebrating the victory, the Swiss players sat on the field as they
were serenaded by their fans. As the song reached a crescendo, the
players jumped up and danced.
Algeria was eliminated after returning to the World Cup for the
first time since 2014, when it advanced to the knockout round but
fell to eventual champion Germany.
Algeria dominated the first 10 minutes before Johan Manzambi raced
down the right side and crossed to Embolo for the tap-in. Embolo
celebrated his 26th international goal with a knee slide.
“It was important to score at the right moment,” Swiss coach Murat
Yakin said. “It was a lucky punch, but then after that, I think that
we were dominating on the pitch, and I’m really happy with the
overall performance, because we played against very strong
individual players.”
Less than a minute into the second half, Ndoye scored with a blast
from the top of the box that diving Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane
couldn’t stop.
Fabian Rieder nearly got a third goal for Switzerland in the 81st
minute but missed on the tap-in as the ball skirted across the face
of Algeria’s goal.
[to top of second column] |
Switzerland's Breel Embolo (7) celebrates after scoring his team's
first goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between
Switzerland and Algeria in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday,
July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
“I think the second goal was decisive. In the first
half, we played a good match. We had several opportunities, and
unfortunately we did not score,” Algeria head coach Vladimir
Petkovic said. “Unfortunately, after 12 minutes they scored the
first goal, and we were not able to really cope with it. I have to
congratulate them. They played a very good match.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was at the game, his second of the
day. Earlier his attended the match between Spain and Austria in
Inglewood, California.
Algeria advanced as a third-place finisher after a 3-3 draw against
Austria last Saturday in Kansas City. The result sent both teams
through to the knockout round but eliminated Iran. Algeria captain
Riyad Mahrez, 35, scored a pair of goals.
“It was already a big success to be back at a competition like this
after 12 years away, and making it through the group stage for only
the second time in our history. I think that’s also an excellent
result," Petkovic said. ”Of course, we wanted to achieve a little
bit more, but we weren’t able to do so."
The Swiss got goals from Rubén Vargas and Manzambi to beat Canada
2-1 on Wednesday — spoiling Canada’s hopes of playing their
first-ever knockout-round game on home soil. Instead, Switzerland
got the return trip to Vancouver.
The Swiss also got a week off, during which time they returned to
their training base in San Diego.
Manzambi, 20, has become the breakout star for Switzerland in the
tournament, with a pair of goals and two assists. He played off the
bench to start the World Cup, but earned a starting role in the
team’s last two games.
Petkovic coached Switzerland from 2014-21 and led the team to the
out of the group stage in the 2018 World Cup. He also was at the
helm when the Swiss went to the quarterfinals of the European
Championship in 2020.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
