Switzerland beats Colombia on penalties to reach first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954

Switzerland advanced to the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1954, defeating Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw in extra time in Vancouver on Tuesday. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saved Cucho Hernandez's spot kick after Davinson Sanchez hit the crossbar, with Ruben Vargas then drilling the decisive blow to send the Swiss side into a last-eight meeting with Argentina.

The two teams went toe-to-toe in an extremely-tense and closely-fought encounter, with neither side able to break the deadlock through 120 minutes. Colombia created the best opportunities in extra time, as Jhon Lucumí caromed a header off the crossbar before Jaminton Campaz fired over with only the goalkeeper to beat, following a defensive mistake from Granit Xhaka.

Switzerland entered the match without several key players, including breakout midfielder Johan Manzambi, who missed the game after suffering a knee injury in training. The 20-year-old had scored three goals and distributed two assists in the Swiss squad's first four contests at the tournament. Vargas, who had also left training early on Monday, recovered in time to enter off the bench before converting the winning penalty.

Kobel praised Switzerland's resilience after the match, highlighting the difficulty of playing against a Colombian opponent backed by a passionate majority of the spectators.

"They had the crowd on their side, so it was a tough game for us," the 28-year-old shot-stopper said. "We know we had some stretches of the game where we had to defend and stay strong mentally. Obviously we had a few players missing so, yeah, it was a big challenge for us."

Colombia's World Cup run ended in shootout heartbreak again, after coming up short on penalties against England in the round of 16 at the 2018 edition. The South Americans had been aiming to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in their history, following a breakthrough last-eight appearance in 2014.

For the Swiss team, the victory marked a historic milestone – winning multiple knockout matches at the same World Cup for the first time. Switzerland, which reached the round of 16 at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 tournaments but failed to advance, will now face Argentina in Kansas City on Saturday for a place in the semifinals.

Argentina rallied from two goals down to edge Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta, surviving one of its biggest scares so far at this year's World Cup.

The Egyptians started strong, stunning the defending champions by taking a 2-0 lead through Yasser Ibrahim's first-half header and Mostafa Zico's 67th-minute strike, after the forward had seen an earlier effort ruled out by VAR. Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir also produced a superb display, saving a penalty kick and making several key stops to hold the South Americans at bay for much of the match.

The momentum shifted dramatically in the closing stages, as the Argentinians mounted an extraordinary comeback. Cristian Romero sparked the revival with a header in the 79th minute, before Lionel Messi brought the reigning titleholders level four minutes later. With extra time looming, Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround by heading a pass from Lautaro Martinez into the net in the second minute of stoppage time, sealing a place in the quarterfinals.

The victory kept alive Argentina's bid to defend the World Cup title after another dramatic knockout encounter, having also been pushed to the limit by Cabo Verde in the round of 32. Meanwhile, Egypt's impressive run came to an end after advancing from the group stage and eliminating Australia in a penalty shootout in the previous round.

The quarterfinals will begin on Thursday with the following fixtures:

July 9

France vs. Morocco in Foxborough

July 10

Spain vs. Belgium in Inglewood

July 11

Norway vs. England in Miami Gardens

Argentina vs. Switzerland in Kansas City