BC Place, Vancouver, July 8 — There are matches that you watch with your eyes. And then there are matches that you feel in your chest, in your throat, in the pit of your stomach. Switzerland vs Colombia was the second kind.
For 120 minutes, nothing happened. And everything happened. A crossbar that denied a nation. A sitter that was skied into the Vancouver night. A goalkeeper who became a wall. And then — five penalties, one save, and 72 years of waiting, over.
Switzerland are through to the World Cup quarter-finals. They beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw that was simultaneously the most boring and the most thrilling match of this tournament. Let me explain.
The Agony of Waiting
Imagine being a Swiss football fan. Your country last reached a World Cup quarter-final in 1954. That was 72 years ago. Winston Churchill was still Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first FIFA World Cup had been played only 24 years earlier. Most of the people celebrating in the streets of Bern and Zurich tonight were not alive the last time Switzerland played in a World Cup quarter-final.
Now imagine watching this match. For 90 minutes, nothing. For another 30 minutes, nothing. A crossbar at one end. A missed sitter at the other. Your heart in your mouth for two hours. And then — penalties.
This is what it means to be a football fan. This is the beautiful torture of the sport we love.
The Hero: Gregor Kobel
Every penalty shootout needs a hero. Switzerland found theirs in Gregor Kobel.
The Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper had already been magnificent for 120 minutes — saving from Puerta in the first half, tipping Campaz’s long-range effort over the bar in extra time, commanding his area with the authority of a man who knew this was his night.
But the fourth round of the shootout was his moment. Cucho Hernández stepped up. The score was 2-2. Kobel crouched on his line, eyes fixed on the ball. Hernández ran up. Kobel dove to his right. Two hands. The ball pushed away. BC Place erupted.
Kobel didn’t celebrate wildly. He simply nodded, as if to say: this is what I do. This is who I am.
The Villain: Jaminton Campaz
Football is cruel. It makes heroes and villains in the same breath, sometimes in the same moment.
Jaminton Campaz will not sleep well tonight. In the 115th minute, with the score 0-0 and penalties looming, Granit Xhaka made a mistake. The Swiss captain — the most experienced player on the pitch — scuffed a clearance and gifted the ball to Campaz. The Colombian substitute was through on goal. One-on-one with Kobel. The entire stadium held its breath.
He skied it. Over the bar. Into the Vancouver night.
Campaz fell to his knees. His teammates stared in disbelief. Somewhere in Colombia, millions of people put their heads in their hands. They knew. In football, when you miss a chance like that, you don’t get another one.
Campaz did score his penalty in the shootout. But it wasn’t enough. The miss in the 115th minute will be the image that stays with him — and with Colombia — for a very long time.
The Redemption: Rubén Vargas
Fifth round. Switzerland lead 3-2. Luis Díaz has just scored to keep Colombia alive. The pressure is now on Rubén Vargas.
If Vargas scores, Switzerland are through. If he misses, Colombia get another chance. The weight of 72 years — of 1934, 1938, 1954, and all the failures in between — rests on his shoulders.
Vargas placed the ball on the spot. He took a deep breath. He ran up. He sent Camilo Vargas the wrong way. The ball nestled in the corner of the net.
Switzerland 4-3 Colombia. The curse is broken.
Vargas was swallowed by his teammates. Kobel was lifted onto shoulders. The Swiss bench emptied onto the pitch. And somewhere in the stands, Swiss fans — many of whom had traveled halfway across the world for this — cried tears of joy.
The Heartbreak: Colombia
Spare a thought for Colombia. They came into this match unbeaten in the tournament. They had James Rodríguez — their all-time World Cup appearance leader — pulling strings in midfield. They had Luis Díaz running at defenders with the fearlessness of a man who believes he cannot be stopped. They had 15 shots to Switzerland’s seven.
And they lost.
Colombia’s players collapsed on the pitch after Vargas’s winning penalty. Díaz was inconsolable. J-Rod stared into the distance, his World Cup dream — perhaps his last — over. Davinson Sánchez, whose penalty hit the crossbar, buried his face in his shirt.
This is the cruelty of the World Cup. You can dominate. You can create chances. You can be the better team for 120 minutes. And still lose.
What Comes Next
Switzerland will face Argentina in the quarter-finals. The defending champions. Lionel Messi. The team that just staged the most dramatic comeback of the tournament against Egypt.
The Swiss will not care. They have waited 72 years for this. They have a goalkeeper in the form of his life. They have a defence that has not conceded a goal in four matches. They have a belief that was forged in 120 minutes of agony and five rounds of penalty perfection.
Argentina are the favourites. Messi is Messi. But Switzerland have already eliminated two South American teams — Uruguay and Colombia. They will not fear a third.
The quarter-final is on July 11 in Kansas City. Switzerland have already made history. Now they want to make more.
