Switzerland advanced to the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup after a comfortable 2-0 win over Algeria on Thursday night in Vancouver.
Switzerland scored in the 10th minute on a great effort from budding star Johan Manzambi to set up Breel Embolo. Then early in the second half, Dan Ndoye scored on a play that began with a sloppy Algerian turnover.
For Switzerland, it was a dominant performance over an Algerian team coached by Vladimir Petkovic, who previously led Switzerland in a successful run from 2014-2021.
Johan Manzambi, 20, is easily one of the top young players in this tournament, along with Lamine Yamal, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Yan Diomande, and Gilberto Mora. Manzambi had the best play of the game in the 10th minute when he began a run in the middle of the field, and he cut through Algeria’s defense into the box before assisting Breel Embolo for a tap in.
(Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Manzambi made huge strides in his game this past season with SC Freiburg, and he was named the UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season for his performances in that tournament. In recent days, Manzambi has been heavily linked to a potential move to Newcastle United in the Premier League.
But this World Cup has seen him take his game to another level. With this assist, he now has three goals and two assists in the tournament. This is even more impressive given that he did not even start Switzerland’s first two games.
Fans of the Swiss team and fans of the Bundesliga have been well aware of Manzambi’s talent, but he is shining on a global spotlight and make him a player to watch bloom in the coming years.
(Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
While much of the focus on this game will be on Embolo and Manzambi, one of the most important storylines for Switzerland was just how well Granit Xhaka played over all 90 minutes.
The Swiss captain. who is now at Sunderland but was best known for his time as Arsenal’s captain, was a dominant presence in the midfield where he looked as good as ever. He completed 61/70 of his passes, won 7/10 of his ground duels, won 3/4 of his aerials, and drew an impressive five fouls as Algeria tried to become more physical when frustration set in.
In these knockout games, games are often won and lost in the midfield and there were questions whether Xhaka at age 33 could still be the leader this team needs to go on a far run. But his performance in this game was reminiscent of his best years at Arsenal. If he can keep that up, Switzerland is in good shape to compete with elite national teams in the midfield.
