Kobel takes the quarterfinals in the penalty shootout and Colombia says goodbye to the World Cup against Switzerland
Gregor Kobel reaches the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup for Switzerland. The Swiss goalkeeper was the hero for his country in the penalty shootout against Colombia, stopping Cucho Hernández’s shot and thus counteracting Akanji’s mistake. After a goalless match, in which the coffee growers forgave the Swiss on countless occasions, the duel was decided from 11 meters. And there the Dortmund goalkeeper reigned, qualifying his team 72 years later for the quarterfinals. Next to nothing.
The last of the round of 16 matches arrived and it did so with the last match outside the United States. The rest will be played in the territory yankee entirely. And both Switzerland and Colombia wanted to be there, in the quarterfinals where they already knew Argentina was waiting for them. A high-tension and exhausting match for the Albiceleste against Egypt to come back from 0-2 down and end up winning before going to extra time, something that these two teams did not achieve in Vancouver.
The coffee growers entered the game much better, looking for Kobel’s goal, but they were unable to see the goal. Neither Luis Díaz nor Luis Suárez managed to convert their opportunities, while the Swiss did so timidly. The Colombians’ lack of a goal was worrying and, although they finished the first half much better, they were close to paying dearly in the second. Above all, after a defensive failure that could well end in a penalty. But no, there was a half-hour extension to get to them.
A half hour in which, once again, Colombia came in better. Without James or Luis Suárez on the pitch, the yellow team’s clearest opportunities were in their Campaz boots. He even had two very clear ones, one-on-one against the Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper, but he sent them away. Twice he forgave, taking the match to a penalty shootout where the last of the eight quarterfinalists of this World Cup would be decided.
Switzerland takes advantage of penalties
And Colombia forgave so much that it ended up paying for it. As usual. They were much better, although Switzerland also had them, but both in quantity and clarity, the tricolor’s chances were superior. Néstor Lorenzo’s men were looking to return to a quarterfinal where they had only been in 2014. They did so after having played sublime football during this World Cup, where only Portugal denied them victory, although they scratched a point that allowed them to be first in the group.
Here, in the round of 16, they encountered a rock, a Switzerland that is an old dog in these qualifiers, but that had not stepped foot in the quarterfinals for more than seven decades. Without the veteran Sommer, it was Kobel’s turn to try to get the chestnuts out of the Helvetians and boy did he do it. A penalty sent Davinson Sánchez to the crossbar, while Akanji did so to the stands and, to break the tie, the Dortmund goalkeeper stopped his shot from Cucho Hernández. Itten put Switzerland ahead and, although Luis Díaz did not fail, Vargas put Yakin’s team in the quarterfinals. Argentina waits there.