Johan Manzambi fires Switzerland to stunning 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B
Switzerland beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match in Los Angeles, in a game with significant Bundesliga interest. Super-sub Johan Manzambi scored twice, with Rubén Vargas and Granit Xhaka also on target in a thrilling second-half display.
Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Goals: 1-0 Manzambi 74', 2-0 Vargas 84' (assist: Embolo), 3-0 Manzambi 90' (assist: Vargas), 3-1 Mahmić 90+3', 4-1 Xhaka 90+7 (pen)
Both Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina had drawn their opening fixtures - against Qatar and Canada respectively - meaning the stakes were high going into this clash in LA.
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin made two changes from the Qatar draw, bringing in Silvan Widmer and Fabian Rieder in place of Denis Zakaria and Rubén Vargas. Bosnia's coach Sergej Barbarez handed a start to Schalke striker Edin Džeko, who had been an unused substitute against Canada, while Kerim Alajbegović and Ivan Šunjić also came into the starting eleven.
Switzerland dominate but Bosnia hold firm
Switzerland set the tempo from the first whistle, controlling possession and pressing Bosnia and Herzegovina back into their own half. Dan Ndoye was a constant menace on the right flank, and in the 10th minute he found space at the edge of the area, receiving a pass from Granit Xhaka before firing a low shot that clipped the side-netting.
Remo Freuler also tried his luck from distance in the 23rd minute, only to see his effort zip just wide. Bosnia, meanwhile, were content to sit deep and hit long balls towards their all-Bundesliga strike partnership of Džeko and Ermedin Demirović. In the 38th minute, Memić tested Gregor Kobel with a low drive from distance, but the Dortmund goalkeeper gathered comfortably. Džeko's snapshot inside the box in the 41st minute was then well blocked by Freuler, and the first half ended goalless.
Second half: Switzerland turn up the heat
The second half began with the same pattern, Switzerland probing and Bosnia defending deep. Ndoye tested Nikola Vasilj with a low shot in the 51st minute, and Michel Aebischer headed wide from a Freuler cross in the 53rd minute. One of the moments of the half came in the 56th minute when Ndoye attempted a stunning bicycle kick inside the box, only for Vasilj to produce a superb save.
Manzambi and Vargas light up Los Angeles
The game was transformed in the 71st minute when Yakin made a triple substitution, sending on Johan Manzambi, Djibril Sow and Rubén Vargas in place of Ndoye, Rieder and Aebischer. The impact was immediate and electric. Just three minutes later, in the 74th minute, Vargas swung a cross into the box and, after the ball broke to Manzambi, the Freiburg midfielder took it first time and slammed it into the net to give Switzerland the lead.
In the 80th minute, the game shifted further in Switzerland's favour when Tarik Muharemović was shown a straight red card for a cynical foul on Embolo, who was clean through on goal. In the 84th minute, Embolo showed great composure inside the box, holding off his marker before squaring to Vargas, who steered the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Manzambi seals it, Mahmić responds, Xhaka adds gloss
But he drama was far from over. In the 90th minute, Manzambi struck again — Vargas played a precise low pass through the middle and the Freiburg man finished coolly to make it 3-0, completing a breathtaking brace from the bench. Bosnia and Herzegovina pulled one back almost immediately in the 93rd minute when substitute Ermin Mahmić — who had only just come on — thundered a volley past Kobel after the goalkeeper had cleared the ball straight to his feet, the shot reportedly travelling at 115 km/h.
However, Switzerland restored their three-goal advantage in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Xhaka stepped up to convert a penalty after Amar Memić had fouled Djibril Sow. Xhaka stroked the ball low into the right corner to seal a magnificent 4-1 victory for Switzerland.
