FIFA World Cup 2026 | Group B | Thursday, 18 June 2026 SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California | Referee: TBC
For 73 minutes nothing happened. Then Johan Manzambi came off the bench, scored one of the goals of the tournament so far, and Switzerland scored four times in 16 minutes to win 4-1.
Five goals between the 74th and 90th minutes. A red card. A first-ever World Cup goal from a substitute who will be 21 years old for another three weeks. An Ermin Mahmic consolation that might have been the goal of the game if Manzambi had not already got there first.
Murat Yakin’s side top Group B with four points. Bosnia and Herzegovina need to beat Qatar in their final game and hope for help elsewhere.
The first 73 minutes were, to be blunt, dull. Switzerland controlled possession. Granit Xhaka orchestrated from deep. Bosnia defended with 35 clearances in the first half alone. The Bosnian supporters packed into SoFi Stadium were louder than the Swiss. Every touch Edin Džeko took drew a roar from the stands — the veteran striker back in the starting lineup, his return giving the Dragons something to feed off emotionally if not tactically.
Switzerland had 68% possession before the break. They did not create a meaningful chance. Bosnia’s defensive block was compact, organised and effective. 0-0 at half-time, and a match that looked like it might end the same way.
The second half was not much different until Yakin made his move. Breel Embolo — who had scored a penalty in Switzerland’s opener against Qatar before they conceded a 94th-minute own goal — was still threatening. But it was the substitutes who changed everything.
Manzambi arrived from the bench and within moments the game was transformed. In the 74th minute, Vargas — another substitute — played the ball in and Manzambi connected with a first-time volley. The technique was extraordinary. Full connection, perfect placement, into the bottom corner past a helpless Nikola Vasilj. 1-0 Switzerland. SoFi Stadium erupted.
Manzambi became the youngest player in FIFA World Cup history to score two or more goals in a game as a substitute, and the first ever player to do so for Switzerland at the tournament. He was not done yet.
Bosnia responded — not by falling apart but by pushing forward, opening up space, and in doing so making themselves vulnerable. In the 84th minute, Embolo drove down the right and cut the ball back for Vargas, who arrived late and finished. 2-0. Then in the 90th minute, Vargas turned provider — finding Manzambi a second time and the forward swept it home. 3-0. Two goals for the teenager in his first World Cup appearance.
Then the madness. Tarik Muharemovic received a red card — the exact reason unclear in the fog of late-game chaos but the referee reached for the straight red. Bosnia down to ten men. In the very next moment, substitute Ermin Mahmic — who had only just come on — smashed an unerring volley past Yann Sommer for a consolation. 3-1. His first international goal. Scored moments after entering the pitch in a World Cup match. The Bosnia end of the stadium celebrated something even as the context made it irrelevant.
Captain Granit Xhaka converted a penalty in the 90+7th minute to complete the scoring. 4-1.
Five goals from the 74th to the 90th. Four for Switzerland, one for Bosnia. A match that had nothing became a match that had everything.
For Switzerland, the win moves them to four points and effectively the top of Group B given the other results. Yakin’s decision to leave his substitutes until nearly the 74th minute — and to trust Manzambi, who had never scored a World Cup goal — changed the match completely. The 20-year-old’s volley for the first goal will be replayed many times in the days ahead.
Xhaka as captain continues to be the heartbeat of this side. His penalty composure in the 90+7th minute — shooting in the opposite direction to the goalkeeper — was the kind of coolness under pressure that wins tournaments. Embolo, despite not getting his name on the scoresheet, was central to both Vargas goals with his direct running and crossing.
For Bosnia, the red card killed whatever chance remained of a comeback. They needed something from this match and instead find themselves needing to beat Qatar and rely on Canada or Switzerland to slip up. Their support was magnificent throughout — louder than Switzerland’s, more passionate, roaring every time Džeko touched the ball. It did not change the outcome.
For live World Cup scores from every group, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full results, standings and fixtures at the official FIFA World Cup website.
Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina FIFA World Cup 2026, Group B | Thursday, 18 June 2026 SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Goals: Johan Manzambi 74′, Rubén Vargas 84′ (assist: Embolo), Johan Manzambi 90′ (assist: Vargas) — Switzerland | Ermin Mahmic 90+3′ — Bosnia and Herzegovina | Granit Xhaka 90+7′ pen — Switzerland
Red Card: Tarik Muharemovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina, late second half)
Switzerland: Sommer; Widmer (Jaquez 86′), defenders; Xhaka, midfielders; Embolo (Itten 89′), Vargas (sub on), Manzambi (sub on 74′)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj; defenders; Alajbegovic (Mahmic 90+1′); Džeko, forwards; Muharemovic
Half-time: 0-0
Group B standings: Switzerland 4 pts | Canada 4 pts | Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 pt | Qatar 0 pts
Record: Johan Manzambi — youngest player in World Cup history to score 2+ goals as a substitute, first Switzerland player to do so
