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Switzerland’s late surge overwhelms Bosnia and Herzegovina after Muharemovic red card

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Switzerland’s late surge overwhelms Bosnia and Herzegovina after Muharemovic red card

The hype around Johan Manzambi will only heighten after his star turn from the substitutes’ bench helped Switzerland out of a hole and got their tournament truly up and running. The 20-year-old managed to excel for Freiburg in their comprehensive Europa League final defeat against Aston Villa last month and, with 73 minutes played here and three minutes after entering as part of a triple substitution, his superb volley put an end to a sterile contest, hooking a right-foot shot into the Bosnia and Herzegovina net.At that point Switzerland had registered eight shots, three on target, but things unravelled in the final third. It was, of course, a similar story in their opener against Qatar, when they finished with 26 shots but had to settle for a draw. Manzambi scored twice here, his second finish understated but sumptuous, before Ermin Mahmic thumped in an unstoppable volley in stoppage time, the ball clocked at 71mph according to the wraparound LED screen. Switzerland’s captain, Granit Xhaka, capped the scoring from the penalty spot after Amar Memic tripped Djibril Sow.Manzambi was involved in the buildup to Switzerland’s second goal too, another substitute, Rubén Vargas, reading Breel Embolo’s pass to send a low first-time finish past Nikola Vasilj. The game had been set up for Edin Dzeko, aged 40 and 63 days, to take centre stage after becoming the ninth-oldest player to feature at a World Cup but Bosnia and Herzegovina’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament now hinge on Wednesday’s final Group B game against Qatar.A grey day in Los Angeles meant no searing temperatures to contend with but nevertheless the first-half hydration break provided Bosnia and Herzegovina with some welcome respite. Other than a couple of early set pieces – Bosnia and Herzegovina’s specialist subject – Switzerland had given Sergej Babarez’s side the runaround. Dan Ndoye blasted against the side netting and found joy inside the left channel. A few minutes later he tried to flick Fabian Rieder’s cross goalwards after Granit Xhaka’s weighted ball into the box. Switzerland schooled their opponents, who were also guilty of giving Murat Yakin’s men a helping hand. Kerim Alajbegovic, the exciting 18-year-old promoted to the starting lineup, played a risky pass that was intercepted by Rieder and Ndoye got a shot away, though fortunately for Vasilj it was lacking conviction.It felt slightly alarming that with 10 minutes of the first half remaining Nikola Katic wildly celebrated winning a goalkick, punching the air after staving off another Swiss attack, even if the Schalke defender has form for doing so; he celebrated every tackle when he lost a tooth in Plymouth’s shock triumph over Liverpool in the FA Cup last year. A few moments earlier Bosnia and Herzegovina had their first sight of goal after Alajbegovic fed Edin Dzeko inside the box. Dzeko stood up a dainty cross towards the back post but Benjamin Tahirovic recorded a swing and a miss. Approaching the interval, Remo Freuler blocked Dzeko’s first shot after a bright run by Alajbegovic.After the half-time whistle sounded, presumably Switzerland’s struggles to again apply the finishing touch flowed through their players’ minds as they headed down the tunnel. They had four shots but only one on target. The numbers were not quite as stark as in their opener with Qatar, when they finished with 26 shots to six; Qatar’s stoppage-time equaliser came courtesy of a Miro Muheim own goal.Ndoye was lively here but Embolo was a little more on the periphery, Xhaka showing his frustration when seemingly on crossed wires at the pivotal moment. None of this should have surprised Switzerland, though, with Bosnia and Herzegovina stubborn opponents; Barbarez’s side had drawn their past six matches, including their penalty shootout victories in playoffs against Wales and Italy to reach this stage.Switzerland were hardly relentless in the second half but the game continued in a similar theme, promising attacks coming undone in the final action. Manuel Akanji pinged a ball from right to left, Ndoye picked up the baton and sent another tame shot at goal, Vasilj making a comfortable save at his near post. It was Ndoye who produced one of the game’s best moments, reading Xhaka’s flighted pass and launching into the air to send an overhead kick at goal. Ndoye looked to the skies after Vasilj got two hands to his effort. Any joy would have been short-lived with Ndoye flagged offside.If Switzerland were going to score, Ndoye looked the most likely candidate. Amar Dedic took matters into his own hands to stop Ndoye streaming down the left early in the second half, earning a booking for tugging at the winger’s shirt. Bosnia’s record goalscorer Dzeko was given a yellow card soon afterwards for a late challenge on Akanji and was then withdrawn on 63 minutes. It was an up-and-coming talent in Manzambi who finally rippled the net.

Ben Fisher at Los Angeles StadiumThu, 18 Jun 2026
Source: The Guardian
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Supersub Cyle Larin rescues point for Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Supersub Cyle Larin rescues point for Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina

“History is about to be made,” the understandably giddy stadium announcer said in the seconds before kick-off and while this was not the perfect start, Canada will not forget Cyle Larin’s equaliser against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a hurry. Trailing to Jovo Lukic’s first international goal, the Southampton striker Larin stepped off the bench and pulled the co-hosts level with his first touch, lashing in 121 seconds after his entrance. A draw in their Group B opener already trumps their last World Cup outing, when they finished pointless in Qatar.Jesse Marsch’s side always looked capable of scoring, though Juventus’s Jonathan David missed a golden opportunity in the first half and a preposterous Sead Kolasinac block that saw the ball cannon on to the crossbar prevented Richie Laryea finding the net in the second. Bosnia, though, were always playing with fire, holding dear Lukic’s first-half header on his first competitive start for his country. It was a goal that tested the foundations of the south stand, where 7,000 temporary seats were erected to increase the stadium’s capacity, many of them occupied by Bosnia’s most ardent supporters.For the locals, a first World Cup game on Canadian soil represented an occasion they were always going to savour, regardless of result and long before the captain, Stephen Eustáquio, rolled the ball to Ismaël Koné at kick-off. By that point, it had been quite the show; Michael Bublé was smuggled on to the centre circle among the 48 flag bearers – the US flag was again booed in some quarters – before performing Bring It On Home to Me and, a few minutes later, Alanis Morissette took centre stage to sing Canada’s national anthem, Marsch, born in Wisconsin, singing every word. Oh, and there was a flypast from the The Snowbirds, the Canadian air force’s answer to the Red Arrows.There was plenty of early gusto from Canada, as expected, Liam Millar’s long throw causing Bosnia and Herzegovina a headache inside 45 seconds. Amar Memic, who started up front alongside Ermedin Demirovic with Edin Dzeko not at full fitness, passed up the first real chance a minute later, blazing over inside the area.Jonathan David, Canada’s biggest hitter in the absence of Alphonso Davies, missed a sitter on 17 minutes, leaving Marsch to contort in agony on the touchline. Marsch acknowledged his players could not afford to be overhyped but both of his full-backs, Laryea and Alistair Johnston, made hasty challenges, the latter booked for crudely wiping out Memic.Laryea’s poor challenge was the precursor to Bosnia’s opener. It stemmed from a seemingly training-ground corner routine, Kolasinac rising high at the front post to flick the ball closer to danger and Lukic glanced in a yard or two from the goalline. Cue delirium in the south stand, in the middle of which thousands of Bosnia’s supporters’ group BHFanaticos were stationed.The water break immediately afterwards provided Marsch with the chance to lighten the load on his players, though the sound of Whitney Houston blaring over the stadium speakers felt untimely.Marsch’s team selection was predictable, though in attack Villarreal’s Tani Oluwaseyi was preferred to the Southampton forward Larin. Oluwaseyi was guilty of spurning another big chance for Canada just after the half-hour, spooning over when presented with a clear sight of goal.Canada dominated possession, had more shots and three times as many touches in the opposition box, but had nothing to show for it at the interval. Eustáquio had spoken about the importance of not being overawed but they suffered from a little stage fright in big moments. “We don’t want for all the emotions to block us mentally or physically so that we can’t perform,” he said.Canada broadly carried on where they left off, plenty of promising moves fizzling out in the final phase. At the same time there was nothing more Laryea, who plays here for Toronto, could have done when Kolasinac made an extraordinary clearance eight minutes into the second half, intervening to divert his goal-bound shot on to the crossbar before Bosnia cleared the ball.Laryea’s sidefoot effort past Nikola Vasilj came at the end of an incisive Canada interchange. If that stung, more pain almost followed but Demirovic fluffed his lines when a deflection put him clear on goal. Bosnia were having to sustain lots of Canada pressure. Dzeko, in a warmup bib on the sidelines, recognised as much, waving his hands like windmills, encouraging his teammates to respawn.The chances kept coming for Canada. Nikola Katic headed off the line to thwart Oluwaseyi. A few minutes earlier a frustrated Marsch thumped a ball down on the touchline as another goalscoring opportunity eluded them. A triple substitution on the hour saw Marsch replenish his frontline, introducing Promise David, the highly rated Union Saint-Gilloise striker, Jacob Shaffelburg and Ali Ahmed.And then came Larin, in place of Oluwaseyi. Koné fed David, who located Larin with a flick. Larin made the finish look easy, swivelling inside the box and volleying past Vasilj.

Ben Fisher at Toronto StadiumFri, 12 Jun 2026
Source: The Guardian
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