SWITZERLAND sealed their place in the World Cup knockout stages as Group B winners after defeating co-hosts Canada 2-1 in Vancouver, while Bosnia and Herzegovina boosted their hopes of reaching the next round for the first time in their history with a 3-1 victory over Qatar.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the final round of Group B matches produced contrasting emotions as Switzerland secured top spot and Canada booked a historic first-ever place in the World Cup knockout stages despite defeat, while Bosnia kept their qualification hopes alive as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Switzerland’s victory ensured they became only the third nation, alongside Argentina and France, to progress to the first knockout round in each of the last four World Cups.
The Swiss will now face one of the third-placed teams from Groups E, F, G, H, I or J at the Vancouver venue on July 3.
Despite the defeat, Canada advanced to the knockout stages for the first time in their history after finishing second in Group B. Jesse Marsch’s side had earlier drawn with Bosnia and Herzegovina and thrashed Qatar in their opening two fixtures.
However, by failing to top the group, Canada surrendered home advantage and will now play the remainder of their matches outside Canada.
Their next fixture will be against the runners-up of Group A at Los Angeles Stadium in California on June 28.
In Vancouver, Switzerland dominated a largely uneventful first half and came closest to opening the scoring when Breel Embolo’s effort from inside the area was brilliantly saved by Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
Canada struggled to threaten despite their six-goal demolition of Qatar in the previous round and managed only three tame efforts on target during a subdued opening period.
The match burst into life immediately after the restart.
Just one minute into the second half, Johan Manzambi delivered a precise cross to the back post where Ruben Vargas calmly finished to score his second goal of the tournament and hand Switzerland the lead.
The Swiss doubled their advantage 11 minutes later when Manzambi capped an impressive performance by finishing from close range after excellent hold-up play from Embolo.
Canada reduced the deficit with 14 minutes remaining when substitute Promise David finished off a flowing team move just 76 seconds after entering the pitch.
The goal briefly raised hopes of a comeback, but Switzerland held firm to secure victory and first place in the group.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, Bosnia and Herzegovina strengthened their hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the first time by defeating Qatar 3-1 in their final Group B fixture.
The victory saw Bosnia finish level on four points with Canada but settle for third place because of their head-to-head record against the co-hosts.
As a result, Bosnia missed out on automatic qualification for the last 32 but remain firmly in contention to advance as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams.
Played under temperatures that reached 29 degrees Celsius, Bosnia started brightly and nearly opened the scoring inside three minutes as Ermedin Demirovic and Ivan Sunjic both forced Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada into sprawling saves from distance.
Bosnia eventually broke the deadlock in the 29th minute through 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic, who dribbled past two defenders before unleashing a thunderous right-footed strike beyond Abunada.
The Bosnian supporters erupted again six minutes later when veteran captain Edin Dzeko, making his 150th international appearance, played a key role in his side’s second goal.
Dzeko’s volley struck defender Sultan Al Brake and deflected into the net, with the goal ultimately recorded as an own goal by the unfortunate Qatari defender.
Bosnia nearly made it three shortly afterwards, but Dzeko’s low effort struck the post after he broke clear of the defence.
Qatar responded before half-time when captain Hassan Al-Haydos bundled home a cross from Edmilson Jr three minutes before the interval to cut the deficit.
The Asian champions ended the first half strongly, with Pedro Miguel also hitting the post after being released by Akram Afif.
Afif remained lively after the break and brushed the side-netting as Qatar threatened on the counter-attack. However, despite introducing prolific striker Almoez Ali for the final 20 minutes, the Maroons lacked the cutting edge required to complete a comeback.
Bosnia defended resolutely and wrapped up victory in the 80th minute when substitute Ermin Mahmic scored for the second consecutive game, pouncing on a loose ball following a scramble inside the Qatar penalty area before slotting beyond Abunada.
The win marked only Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second-ever World Cup victory, following their 3-1 triumph over Iran during their debut appearance at the 2014 tournament.
While Bosnia’s four-point haul could prove enough to secure a place in the knockout rounds, Sergej Barbarez’s men must now wait for results elsewhere to determine their fate.
Qatar, meanwhile, finished bottom of Group B with just one point from their three matches.