Switzerland outplays Dragons with a red-card setback, we turn to Qatar!

(Patria) - In the second round of the group stage of the World Cup, Bosnia and Herzegovina played a match against the Swiss national team in Los Angeles. The final score was 4:1 in favor of Switzerland.

In Los Angeles, the Swiss team was better, celebrating a 4:1 victory and taking a big step towards advancing to the next phase of the competition.

The Dragons successfully defended for most of the match against a superior opponent, but could not withstand the pressure in the closing stages. The Swiss punished the drop in concentration of the Bosnian national team, and then took advantage of the extra player after Tarik Muharemović's red card.

From the very beginning, it was clear that Switzerland would try to impose their rhythm of play. Xhaka, Ndoye, and Embolo constantly threatened Nikola Vasilj's goal, while the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, led by Muharemović, Katić, and Kolašinac, managed to avert danger for a long time.

The biggest chance in the opening minutes came from Ndoye, who hit the outside of the net in the tenth minute, while a few minutes later he threatened again but did not get the best touch on the ball in front of goal.

Bosnia and Herzegovina mostly sought their chances on the counterattack. Memić poorly crossed in the 15th minute after a promising move, while Džeko superbly passed to Tahirović in the 31st minute, who was just a few centimeters short of reaching the ball.

As time went on, Switzerland increasingly took control of the match. Freuler shot wide in the 23rd minute, while Embolo seriously tested the concentration of the Bosnian defense several times.

Nevertheless, the Dragons managed to keep their net intact until halftime. They came closest to scoring in the 41st minute when Alajbegović won a ball and found Džeko, but the Bosnia and Herzegovina captain hit a block in front of him.

The second half brought even more pressure from the Swiss. Ndoye threatened on several occasions, and Nikola Vasilj stood out with excellent interventions, particularly shining after attempts by Embolo and Ndoye's spectacular scissor kick.

On the other side, the best chance for Bosnia and Herzegovina came from Amar Dedić in the 68th minute. His powerful shot from distance forced Gregor Kobel into a very good save, which was also the most dangerous situation in front of the Swiss goal.

Sergej Barbarez tried to change the course of the match with substitutions. Bajraktarević and Bašić came on for Džeko and Tahirović, but the fresh legs from the bench could not bring a turnaround.

The key moment came in the 74th minute. Just two minutes after coming on, substitute Manzambi was left completely alone in front of goal and without major problems found the net to give Switzerland a 1:0 lead.

All hopes for Bosnia and Herzegovina were further extinguished ten minutes before the end. Muharemović, as the last defender, brought down Embolo, and the referee showed him a straight red card, leaving the Dragons with ten men on the field.

The Swiss quickly turned their numerical advantage into another goal. In the 85th minute, Embolo superbly set up Rubin Vargas, who routinely scored for a final 2:0, thus further confirming his team's deserved victory.

However, the Swiss did not stop there and scored a third goal in the 90th minute of the match, when substitute Manzambi again found the net for Bosnia and Herzegovina, making it 3:0, and adding a "seal" to the aforementioned confirmation of Switzerland's victory.

Nevertheless, to make the defeat a bit less bitter, Ermin Mahmić scored a phenomenal volley in the 93rd minute of the match, thus breaking through Kobel and the Swiss defense for 3:1!

The excitement did not stop there in this match, as in the last minute Granit Xhaka was awarded a penalty, which he converted to make it 4:1. The penalty was caused by Amar Memić with a careless tackle.

Bosnia and Herzegovina thus complicated their situation in the group and will now seek a victory against Qatar in the final round, which could keep hope alive for advancing to the knockout stage of the World Cup, while also expecting favorable results in other group matches.

(sportsport.ba)