Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina appeared to be heading for a goalless draw until Johan Manzambi and Rubén Vargas changed the game from the bench.
Johan Manzambi and Rubén Vargas came off the bench to secure a late 4-1 win for Switzerland over 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Switzerland had struggled to break down their opponents, but their substitutes made immediate impacts, with Manzambi also playing his part in Tarik Muharemovic’s sending-off.
The Swiss found clear-cut openings hard to come by in the first half, with Dan Ndoye drilling a low shot into the side netting and Remo Freuler doing the same shortly after.
Bosnia-Herzegovina were then indebted to goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj at the start of the second half, as he brilliantly parried Ndoye’s overhead kick out for a corner – not knowing the 25-year-old was offside – before also stretching to keep out Breel Embolo‘s header from a tight-angle.
Bosnia-Herzegovina attempted to up the pressure again following the second-half hydration break, with Amar Dedic drilling a low shot too close to Gregor Kobel in the Swiss goal.
But Manzambi soon turned the tide in Switzerland’s favour, scoring just under three minutes after he was brought on.
Vargas’ first cross was blocked, and his second was only half-cleared, but Manzambi watched it drop through the air to meet it on the volley, rocketing his finish into the roof of the net in the 74th minute.
And just six minutes later, he proved instrumental again as his through ball played in Embolo, causing Muharemovic to panic and slide in as the last man, resulting in a straight red card – the first sending off since the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, when Mexico and South Africa shared three between them.
Vargas then wrapped up all three points with six minutes of the 90 remaining, bending a low effort into the net. Manzambi was not done yet, though. Vargas was again awarded too much space down the left as he put it on a plate for the youngster to turn in first time in the 90th minute.
Bosnia-Herzegovina gave their travelling fans something to cheer late on as Ermin Mahmic put his laces through a lovely shot that beat Kobel.
That joy lasted just four minutes, though, as Granit Xhaka squeezed penalty past Vasilj at the death after Amar Memic caught Djibril Sow in the box. The result sends Switzerland top of Group B.
Yakin’s Bench Comes Up Trumps
Aged 30 years and 97 days, Switzerland named their oldest starting XI in a World Cup match and the fourth-oldest at the tournament so far this year.
But for all that experience on the pitch, they struggled to build up momentum in the first half, perhaps still reeling after their wastefulness was punished in a 1-1 draw with Qatar.
It was an underwhelming first half; at this year’s World Cup, only Ghana v Panama (three) and France v Senegal (seven) have produced fewer shots before the break (seven), while only the first of those games (0.11) saw a lower first-half expected goals (xG) total than Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (0.24).
Swiss manager Murat Yakin turned to his bench, and it was one of his young stars that really turned the tide. Four of Manzambi’s five goals for Switzerland in all competitions (14 apps) have come as a substitute (one goal in four starts).
He is also the 10th player to score a brace as a substitute in a World Cup match, and the youngest-ever to do so (20y 247d).
Overall, it was a major improvement for Switzerland after the break. They got six of their nine second-half shots on target (worth 1.94 xG), having three Opta-defined ‘big’ chances.
Manzambi and Vargas may feel they have done enough to start their final group game against co-hosts Canada on 24 June. Bosnia-Herzegovina, meanwhile, will need a result against Qatar in their final game.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group B meeting at SoFi Stadium in LA on 18 June.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina: Post-Match Opta Facts
- Johan Manzambi (20y 247d) became the youngest player in FIFA World Cup history to score 2+ goals in a game as a substitute and the first ever player to do so for Switzerland at the tournament.
- Switzerland (3 sub goals) v Bosnia and Herzegovina (1 sub goal) became just the second game in FIFA World Cup history to see as many as four goals scored by substitutes – after Hungary (4) v El Salvador (1) in 1982 (5).
- Bosnia and Herzegovina became just the third side to concede as many as four goals from the 70th minute onwards in a FIFA World Cup game after El Salvador v Hungary in 1982 (5) and Cuba v Sweden in 1938 (4).
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