avfc82 A late flurry of goals, inspired by substitutes Johan Manzambi ($5.6m) and Ruben Vargas ($6.8m), led Switzerland to an emphatic 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Here are our Scout Notes from the game, featuring match stats from our World Cup Toolkit page.
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SWITZERLAND 4-1 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
- Goals: Manzambi x2, Vargas, Xhaka (pen) | Mahmic
- Assists: Vargas x2, Embolo | Hadziahmetovic
- Penalty won: Sow
- Shot on target bonus: Ndoye
- Tackle bonus: Aebischer, Rieder
- Top points scorers: Manzambi (15), Vargas (15), Xhaka (10), Mahmic (9), Widmer (9), Embolo (7)
TEAM STATS
SCOUT NOTES
- Switzerland comfortably beat Bosnia in the end, but scored all four goals after the 74th minute. Prior to that, the match was played almost exclusively on their terms, yet they struggled to find the necessary creativity and composure to break the deadlock.
- Dan Ndoye ($6.8m) was heavily involved in that period and unlucky not to score with a superb, acrobatic effort. The Nottingham Forest man racked up four shots in total, claiming the shot on target bonus.
- However, the match only burst into life after the introductions of wingers Manzambi and Vargas in the 71st minute. Manzambi fired Switzerland in front with a brilliant volley, after which Tarik Muharemovic ($3.9m) was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity. Vargas then netted the second, with Manzambi quickly adding a third. Granit Xhaka ($6.2m), the main man in the middle of the park, sealed the victory with a late penalty, notably with Breel Embolo ($7.5m) off the pitch.
- Given Manzambi and Vargas’ impact off the bench, you suspect both players may start in Round 3.
“I told Vargas I would bring him on as soon as the opponents started to get more tired. We brought him on at the right time. Today it was a tactical decision.
“He [Manzambi] is a very happy person with so many football qualities. He can dribble, score and put a lot of pressure on opponents. He can surprise us as much as the opponent.” – Murat Yakin
- As for Embolo, he got his tournament up and running from the penalty spot last week and supplied an assist here, earning Scouting Bonus points for the second successive round.
- After this comprehensive victory, Switzerland (and Canada!) have taken charge of Group B, while Bosnia have it all to do against Qatar next week.
- Encamped deep in their own half for much of this match, Ermin Mahmic ($4.2m) did at least score a consolation goal for Bosnia with a well-executed volley from distance.
- Nico Elvedi ($4.3m), who sailed past the Scouting Bonus threshold earlier, unfortunately lost his clean sheet. He has now lost clean sheet points after the 90th minute in consecutive rounds. Silvan Widmer ($4.2m), who replaced Denis Zakaria ($6.1m) at right-back, fared better, having already been subbed off when Bosnia scored.
- Back in the starting line-up, 40-year-old Edin Dzeko ($6.1m) led the line but was booked just after the hour mark and subbed shortly after.
- Bosnia players – and in particular, uber cheap centre-back Nikola Katic ($3.8m) – were auditioning ahead of next week’s clash with Qatar. Although they won’t be a priority target for most Fantasy managers, they remained competitive in this match until the 74th minute and could still potentially offer value in Round 3, given the opposition.
“We have this third game and nothing is lost. We have to win it, of course, if we want to get further. This defeat is huge for us, but I don’t like whining. I told the players they have one hour to cheer up and lift their heads. Life goes on. We have another match ahead of us and, trust me, they will be ready.” – Sergej Barbarez
