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Switzerland tops Algeria to comfortably advance to World Cup Round of 16
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- Switzerland tops Algeria to comfortably advance to World Cup Round of 16
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Switzerland booked its place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Algeria on Thursday night in Vancouver, putting up another disciplined display to continue its impressive run in the tournament.
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The result secured the Swiss national team 's third straight World Cup win, a first in the nation's history, while also ending a knockout-stage drought that had lasted since 1938.
Breel Embolo opened the scoring in the 10th minute after an outstanding individual run from 20-year-old Johan Manzambi . Bursting down the left wing, Manzambi beat his defender before delivering a low cross that Embolo converted from close range. The goal was Embolo's fourth at the World Cup, leaving only Josef Hugi (six) and Xherdan Shaqiri (five) with more for Switzerland. It was also his third tournament opener, the most by any Swiss player.
Algeria began brightly and nearly took an early lead when Houssem Aouar failed to make clean contact with Rafik Belghali 's cross. Riyad Mahrez also threatened, but Switzerland's organized defense, led by Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi , restricted the North Africans to few clear opportunities, while goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was rarely troubled.
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Switzerland doubled its advantage just 48 seconds after halftime. Denis Zakaria intercepted Algeria's build-up before the ball eventually fell to Dan Ndoye , who calmly placed his shot into the bottom corner after controlling a weak clearance from Belghali. Zakaria later produced a crucial block to deny Mahrez, preserving the two-goal cushion.
The Swiss midfield pairing of captain Granit Xhaka and Zakaria controlled possession throughout the contest. Xhaka also reached a significant milestone by becoming the first Swiss player to earn 150 international caps. He finished with team-best totals of 10 duels won, eight possessions regained and five fouls won.
Manzambi continued to underline his growing reputation by recording his second assist of the tournament. With three goals and two assists, he became the first Swiss player since detailed World Cup data began in 1966 to record five goal contributions in a single tournament. At 20 years and 261 days old, he is also the youngest player to reach that mark since 1966.
Switzerland generated 2.52 expected goals from 11 shots compared to Algeria's 0.73 from eight attempts and scored twice in a World Cup knockout match for the first time since 1954.
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Murat Yakin's side will now face the winner of Friday's Round of 32 meeting between Colombia and Ghana , while Algeria exits the tournament alongside Ivory Coast , DR Congo, Senegal and South Africa , leaving Morocco as the only African nation to reach the Round of 16.
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