Switzerland booked their place in the Round of 16 at the World Cup after sealing a composed 2 0 victory over Algeria on Thursday.
The Swiss side turned in a disciplined performance to get the job done and will now wait to face the winner of Friday’s meeting between Colombia and Ghana in the next round.
Johan Manzambi was at the heart of Switzerland’s opening goal in Vancouver, producing a lively run down the left before delivering a neat cross for Breel Embolo, who finished from close range to put his side ahead.
Switzerland returned from the break and struck again almost immediately to put the contest further out of Algeria’s reach. Dan Ndoye reacted quickly after a poor clearance from Rafik Belghali, brought the ball under control and fired through a crowd of players to make it 2 0 less than a minute into the second half.
Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane got a hand to the effort but could not do enough to keep it out, capping a frustrating night for the North African side.
The result sends Switzerland into the last 16, while Algeria bow out of the tournament at the Round of 32 stage. Their exit adds to the growing list of African teams already eliminated, with Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Senegal and South Africa also out of the competition. Morocco remain the only African side to have reached the next round so far.
