Switzerland knocks out Colombia on penalties, reaches World Cup quarterfinals

Rubén Vargas slammed home the winning penalty and Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 in a shootout after 120 scoreless minutes at BC Place in Vancouver, ending the Tricolor’s World Cup run. Gregor Kobel saved Cucho Hernández’s attempt, and Dávinson Sánchez had already struck the crossbar before Vargas finished the job to send the Europeans into the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954.

Colombia spent much of the first half on the front foot, but it never turned that control into a clear opening. Its best chance before the break came from Gustavo Puerta, whose shot forced Kobel into an acrobatic save. That pattern, pressure without a breakthrough, carried the game into a tense second half and eventually into extra time, where neither side found a goal.

The clearest chances after the break belonged to both teams. Jhon Lucumí headed against the crossbar in extra time, Zeki Amdouni forced a response from Camilo Vargas, and Jaminton Campaz missed a gilt-edged chance that could have changed the tie before penalties. Switzerland had already been forced into an adjustment before kickoff, with Johan Manzambi ruled out by a knee injury, but Murat Yakin said the late substitutions proved decisive. Cedric Itten, Zeki Amdouni and Vargas gave Switzerland the balance it needed to stay alive until the shootout.

Vargas, who had come on in added time at the end of regulation, said he felt “safe” stepping up for the decisive kick. That confidence matched the Swiss execution at the end of a match that turned on margins rather than collapse. Colombia did enough to believe it could go deeper in the tournament, but not enough in the final third to avoid a knockout that will sting because it was so narrow, and because it arrived after a credible run in which the team had stayed unbeaten in four matches at the 2026 World Cup. Switzerland moves on to face Argentina, while Colombia is left to weigh a painful exit that still signaled it belongs back among the tournament’s serious contenders.