Canada is through to the knockout round for the first time in three trips to the World Cup. It should be a moment of celebration and joy, but emotions were muted Wednesday at B.C. Place after Switzerland won 2-1 in their final Group B game.
Match Summary
The result means the Swiss are in the knockout round for their sixth straight Cup, a remarkable show of consistency. Canada started the game with midfielder Stephen Eustáquio on the bench due to injury concerns, as coach Jesse Marsch thought ahead to the knockout round. But with Ismaël Koné, their best ball-moving midfielder, out of the tournament with a broken leg, Canada was already depleted in the middle. Nathan Saliba stepped in for Koné, and Mathieu Choinière for Eustáquio.
The Swiss were always going to be the possession winners in this game — it was 70 per cent in the first half but finished at just 55 per cent — but Canada lacked the presence their starters in the middle could bring.
Second Half Collapse
Les Rouges soaked up the attacks in the first half, and had a few chances of their own, but disaster struck just seconds into the second half. With half of the stadium still on the concourse buying $20 beers, Rubén Vargas put Switzerland in front. A few minutes later, Johan Manzambi extended the lead to 2-0.
Marsch made three substitutions, including Eustáquio, and Canada was able to generate some pressure, but couldn't find the equalizer. Alphonso Davies stayed on the bench, with no reason to risk him aggravating his recently healed hamstring for this game.
Down 2-0, there were spells of silence from the crowd at B.C. Place, a scene that would have seemed impossible for those who had attended any of the previous Cup games in Vancouver.
Late Rally Falls Short
Promise David scored with his first touch in the 76th minute, sending the crowd into hysterics. The momentum swung back to Les Rouges, with Derek Cornelius, Tani Oluwaseyi and Alistair Johnston all having chances that were inches from scoring. Canada ended the game with more shots and more chances than Switzerland, but the one category that matters — goals — favoured the Swiss.
"I think our strength is always that we work as a team on a pitch. We also know we don't have three top-10 players in the world, like other nations do, so it only works in that way," said Swiss centre-back Manuel Akanji. "It's a team sport. … In the last few Euros, we went past the Round of 16, but we weren't able to do it on the World Cup so far, so I hope we can do it this time."
What's Next
Canada will have a quick turnaround for their first knockout-round game, heading to Los Angeles to face the second-place winner in Group A on Sunday. South Korea is currently in second with three points, and a reunion with midfielder Inbeom Hwang is possible. Switzerland will shift their base camp from San Diego to Killarney Park ahead of their knockout-round game.
