Snoozefest until 74th minute, then a storm! Switzerland's substitutes tore Bosnia's defense apart

If you watched the match between Switzerland and Bosnia until the 74th minute, you were probably getting sleepy. But if you missed the rest, you missed a lot! We saw everything until the final whistle—5 goals, a red card, a penalty, and everything football can offer. With this win, Switzerland collected 4 points and almost secured qualification to the knockout stage, while Bosnia will look for progression against Qatar.

Switzerland have enjoyed the better of the first half, controlling possession and applying sustained pressure on the Bosnia & Herzegovina defense, but they have been unable to find a breakthrough before the interval.

After spending the opening ten minutes camped in the Bosnian half, the Swiss finally produced their first real chance in the 10th minute. Dan Ndoye found space on the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful effort, only to see the ball strike the outside of the net.

Ndoye continued to be Switzerland's most threatening player. In the 20th minute, he capitalized on a defensive mistake to create another shooting opportunity, but his attempt lacked power and was comfortably gathered by goalkeeper Vasilj.

Three minutes later, Switzerland came close again. Granit Xhaka, who has been pulling the strings in midfield throughout the opening period, started another promising attack. The move ended with Freuler firing narrowly wide of the target as the Swiss continued to push for the opener.

Bosnia & Herzegovina struggled to create chances for much of the half, registering their first shot on target only in the 38th minute. Amar Memic tested Kobel from distance, but the effort was too weak to cause any real concern for the Swiss goalkeeper.

Towards the end of the first half, we could have seen Bosnia take the lead In the 44th minute, a well-worked attacking move saw Sead Kolasinac receive the ball in space on the left flank. With a clear sight of goal, the defender instead looked to pick out Dzeko in the box, but his attempted pass was blocked at the crucial moment.

Despite Switzerland's dominance and several promising opportunities, Bosnia have remained organized defensively, leaving everything to play for in the second half with the score still goalless.

Kerim Alajbegovic and Silvan Widmer (©Getty Images)

The second half began much like the first, with Switzerland looking the more dangerous side and Dan Ndoye once again at the center of the action.

Just six minutes after the restart, Ndoye collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area and fired towards goal, but Bosnia and Herzegovina goalkeeper Vasilj was equal to the task, making a solid save to keep the score level.

Ndoye thought he had come even closer in the 55th minute. The Swiss forward found himself in a superb scoring position and attempted an acrobatic bicycle kick that forced another outstanding stop from Vasilj. However, the effort ultimately counted for little, as the offside flag was raised and Bosnia were awarded a free kick instead of Switzerland earning a corner.

Ndoye in action (©Getty Images)

Switzerland continued to pile on the pressure and nearly broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute. Following a corner kick, Embolo rose highest to meet the cross with a powerful header, only for Vasilj to produce yet another excellent save and deny the hosts.

Bosnia &Herzegovina responded impressively and enjoyed their best spell of the match shortly afterward. In the 68th minute, Amar Dedic unleashed a powerful strike from around 25 meters out, forcing Kobel into a brilliant reflex save. The chance highlighted Bosnia's growing confidence, as they began asking far more questions of the Swiss defense than they had in the first half.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 74th minute, and it came from an unlikely source. Just two minutes after entering the match, Manzambi put Switzerland ahead. A Swiss attack initially appeared to have been dealt with by the Bosnian defense, but a clearance fell perfectly for the substitute, who struck a superb first-time volley beyond Vasilj to make it 1-0.

Bosnia's hopes of mounting a comeback suffered a major blow ten minutes from time. Manzambi was involved again, this time delivering a long pass that sent Embolo racing through on goal. With the striker closing in on a one-on-one opportunity, defender Muharemovic brought him down as the last man. The referee had little hesitation in showing a straight red card, reducing Bosnia to ten men.

Switzerland nearly doubled their advantage from the resulting free kick. Ruben Vargas struck a powerful effort towards goal, but Vasilj once again demonstrated his quality, making another important save to keep his side within touching distance.

Vargas put the game beyond doubt by scoring Switzerland's second goal and sealing a 2-0 victory. The Swiss made the most of their numerical advantage, with Breel Embolo picking out an unmarked Vargas inside the penalty area. Vargas calmly struck the ball past the goalkeeper to wrap up the win for Switzerland.

Switzerland's complete dominance was capped by Manzambi, who made the most of another clear opportunity in the 90th minute. Vargas was once again involved in the move, laying the ball off to Manzambi, who found himself unmarked inside the penalty area. He fired a shot and comfortably beat Bosnia's goalkeeper to make it 3-0 in Switzerland's favor.

Just to put the finishing touch on the match, Bosnia managed to find the net. In the third minute of stoppage time, seemingly out of desperation, Mahmic, who had come on only a few minutes earlier, struck a superb volley and beat Kobel with a brilliant finish, providing at least some consolation for the Bosnian side.

Just when it seemed that the match was over, we even saw a penalty awarded. Switzerland launched another attack and found itself in a promising position, with Memic arriving late and tripping the opposing player, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Xhaka stepped up, placed the ball on the penalty mark, and beat Vasilj to seal a convincing 4-1 victory.

WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE (ROUND 2)

Group B

Thursday 18.06.

Switzerland - Bosnia & Herzegovina 4-1 (0-0)

/Manzambi 74, 90, Vargas 84, Xhaka 90+7 pen - Mahmic 90+3/

Friday 19.06.

01.00: (1.32) Canada (5.10) Qatar (10.0)

***odds are subject to change***