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Switzerland erupted for four late goals to beat a 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina side 4-1 on Thursday at SoFi Stadium, turning a goalless stalemate into a one-sided rout in the closing 25 minutes of their World Cup Group B match.
The result lifts Switzerland to four points from two games, putting them in a strong position ahead of next week's meeting with co-hosts Canada. Bosnia-Herzegovina's nine-game unbeaten run came to an end, and the team may now need a win in its final group match against Qatar to advance.
For more than an hour, the match offered little. Switzerland dominated possession but created few clear chances, while Bosnia-Herzegovina grew into the game after the second hydration break without testing goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
At halftime the score was 0-0, with Switzerland managing only 0.06 expected goals (xG) in the opening 45 minutes.
The turning point came when Swiss coach Murat Yakin sent on a wave of substitutes, including Ruben Vargas and Johan Manzambi. The pair combined directly in the build-up to Switzerland's first three goals. In the 74th minute, Manzambi volleyed home a rebound after a Vargas cross was twice cut out, breaking the deadlock.
At 20 years and 247 days old, Manzambi became the third-youngest goalscorer in Switzerland's World Cup history, behind only Alfred Bickel and Charles Antenen.
Six minutes after the opening goal, Bosnia-Herzegovina's misfortune deepened when defender Tarik Muharemovic was sent off for fouling Breel Embolo as the last man back, leaving his side to play out the final stretch with 10 players.
Switzerland capitalized quickly. Vargas scored in the 84th minute after a passing move involving Manzambi and Embolo, then turned provider himself six minutes later, setting up Manzambi for his second goal of the match — making him the youngest substitute to score twice in a World Cup game.
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Bosnia-Herzegovina pulled one back in stoppage time when substitute Ermin Mahmic, on the field for only moments, struck a first-time volley past Kobel for his first international goal. It proved only a consolation. Switzerland had the final word when Sow was fouled inside the box in the seventh minute of stoppage time, and captain Granit Xhaka converted the resulting penalty in the match's last kick, completing the 4-1 scoreline.
By full time, Switzerland had recorded 2.01 xG, compared with 0.24 from five attempts for Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Switzerland and Bosnia-Herzegovina had met only once before, a 2016 friendly in Zurich won 2-0 by Bosnia-Herzegovina with goals from Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic.
Thursday's match was the nations' first meeting at a World Cup. Bosnia-Herzegovina, coached by Sergej Barbarez, had been chasing a national-record 10th straight match unbeaten before the loss.
Switzerland next face co-hosts Canada, while Bosnia-Herzegovina will need a strong result against Qatar in their final Group B fixture to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive.
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