Goalkeeper. Gregor Kobel emerged as Switzerland’s hero after producing a decisive penalty save to secure a 4-3 shootout victory over Colombia following a goalless draw, sending the Swiss into the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1954.
Kobel denied Colombia forward, Cucho Hernandez in the shootout after both teams had exchanged misses earlier, sealing Switzerland’s place in the last eight, where they will face defending champions, Argentina at Kansas City Stadium on Sunday.
The shootout began with Colombia defender Davinson Sanchez striking the underside of the crossbar, but Switzerland immediately handed the advantage back when Manuel Akanji blasted his effort over the bar. Kobel then made the defining intervention by pushing away Hernandez’s penalty before Cedric Itten and Ruben Vargas converted their spot kicks to join successful efforts from Granit Xhaka and Zeki Amdouni, completing a 4-3 shootout triumph.
The last-16 contest produced few clear-cut opportunities over 120 minutes, with both sides struggling to break the deadlock.
Colombia came closest during normal time when Jhon Lucumi’s header from a corner crashed against the crossbar. Substitute, Jaminton Campaz later forced Kobel into an awkward save with a long-range strike in extra time.
Campaz also squandered Colombia’s best chance to win the match moments before penalties, curling an effort over the bar after a defensive mistake by Xhaka.
The miss proved costly as Colombia suffered another World Cup shootout heartbreak, repeating their last-16 penalty defeat to England in 2018, while Switzerland advanced to a historic quarterfinal showdown against Argentina.