The game in Los Angeles came alive in the closing stages, with all five goals coming in the final 30 minutes.
Published June 18, 2026
Johan Manzambi came on as a substitute in the 71st minute and scored two second-half goals, following goals from Ruben Vargas and Granit Xhaka, as Switzerland used a late burst to beat 10-a-side Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 and take top spot in World Cup Group B.
Switzerland’s last three goals at Los Angeles Stadium came in the 80th minute when Bosnian defender Tarik Mujaremović was sent off for bringing down Bril Embolo to deny an obvious scoring opportunity, bringing Thursday’s match to a dramatic conclusion.
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When all was said and done, Switzerland topped their group with one win and one draw, despite an unexpected 1-1 draw with Qatar in the opening game of the tournament.
Qatar and Canada will meet in a Group B match later Thursday in Vancouver, with the winner tied on points with the Swiss side aiming to advance to their fourth consecutive World Cup knockout stage.
Bosnia and Herzegovina maintained their one point lead with a powerful volley shot by Bosnian substitute Ermin Mafmic in stoppage time of the second half.
However, the Balkan side could do little against Switzerland and will need to be more adventurous in their final group game against Qatar to have any chance of progressing.
All five goals conceded were scored after the 70th minute, including the tying goal in the 1-1 draw against Canada in the tournament’s opening game.
But it looked like Bosnia’s cautious approach was going to be a long game, until Swiss coach Murat Jakin sent Manzambi on.
Immediately after his introduction, Vargas broke free on the left and curled an outswinging cross towards the back post.
Amar Memic tried to clear with his head, but Manzambi instinctively connected with the second ball near the penalty spot and fired in a powerful side volley, but it was too much for Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasili.
Any realistic hopes of a positive result for Bosnia were dashed six minutes later when referee Joao Pinheiro had no choice but to show a red card for Mujaremović’s late attack from behind.
Four minutes later, with Embolo holding the ball near the spot, Vargas took a shot in the bottom right corner and passed the ball to his open teammate on the left.
Manzambi scored twice in the 90th minute, Vargas scored and Makhmiku pulled one back before veteran Xhaka scored from the penalty spot in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time.
