2026 FIFA World Cup — Group B, Matchday 2 | June 19 | Los Angeles Stadium
LOS ANGELES — At half-time, this was a cure for insomnia. Switzerland had 60% possession but zero shots on target. Granit Xhaka had a long-range effort blocked. Dan Ndoye’s angled shot drifted wide. Bosnia, pinned back but disciplined, had three shots and one on target. The scoreboard read 0-0. The 68,000 fans inside Los Angeles Stadium were starting to yawn.
Then the second half happened.
Meschack Manzambi scored. Breel Embolo set up Ruben Vargas for a low finish. Vargas returned the favour for Manzambi’s second. Xhaka converted a penalty. Tarik Muharemovic was sent off. Enver Mahmic pulled one back for Bosnia, but it was already too late.
4-1. Switzerland turned 45 minutes of tedium into 45 minutes of devastation. Group B’s landscape was rewritten in one half of football.
The First Half: Swiss Control, Bosnian Resistance
If you watched only the first half, you would have seen a classic Swiss performance — controlled, patient, probing, but lacking the killer instinct. Murat Yakin’s side dominated the ball, with Xhaka dictating from deep and Embolo searching for gaps in the Bosnian defence. But Bosnia’s back line, marshalled by Muharemovic, plugged every gap.
Bosnia, back at the World Cup after a 14-year absence, had chosen the pragmatic approach: defend deep, wait for counter-attacks. For 45 minutes, it worked. Three shots, one on target, no goals conceded. The Bosnian players walked off at half-time with satisfaction on their faces. They had done their job.
The Second Half: Manzambi Lights the Fuse
Whatever Yakin said in the dressing room, it worked. Switzerland emerged as a different team.
The first goal came from a substitute. Manzambi, introduced at the break, collected a pass inside the box and slotted home with the composure of a veteran. 1-0. The Bosnian defence — impenetrable in the first half — began to crack.
Then the cracks became a collapse.
Embolo burst down the left and squared for Vargas, who drilled a low finish past the goalkeeper. 2-0. Vargas then turned provider, setting up Manzambi for a tap-in. 3-0. Manzambi, a substitute, had scored twice in 45 minutes.
The knockout blow came from the penalty spot. Muharemovic fouled inside the area, and referee pointed to the spot — then showed the Bosnian defender a red card. Xhaka, the Swiss captain, the calmest man in the stadium, stepped up and buried it. 4-0.
Mahmic scored a late consolation for Bosnia, but it meant nothing. 4-1. Bosnia had lost the match and their composure.
Group B Standings
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 |
| 2 | Canada | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 4 |
| 3 | Bosnia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 1 |
| 4 | Qatar | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 1 |
Match Details:
- Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
- Goals: Manzambi 2, Vargas, Xhaka (pen); Mahmic (Bosnia)
- Red card: Muharemovic (Bosnia)
- Man of the Match: Meschack Manzambi (Switzerland)