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Key events
“Noticed any trends on music played to hide the boos during hydration breaks?” writes Cian Mulligan. “Seems to me they always/only play the Macarena if there is a Spanish-speaking team playing.”
Any time I notice it, it’s Bon Jovi.
34 min Rodríguez pings another ball into the Switzerland box. Díaz goes down with Elvedi giving him a mild cuddle. Referee Bartón is not moved.
33 min The drinks break has helped Switzerland a lot. Ndoye is next to test Vargas. His shot is low and across the goalkeeper, who gets down smartly to trap it. Up the other end, Díaz tries to feed a shot into the far corner but it’s blocked. Rodríguez did really well in a tussle with Xhaka in midfield.
31 min Important save from Vargas! Akanji finds Rieder in plenty of space on the half-turn. He bundles the ball into the Colombia box and shoots low, with Vargas able to bat it away. Decent chance.
29 min Xhaka skips past Lerma in midfield. The Colombia midfielder duly brings him down. An unmarked Ashari almost latches on to a ball into the Colombia box, which will have jangled a few nerves in the majority of the crowd.
27 min Everybody is refreshed (under the roof) and we are back under way.
A reminder that the winners of this will play Argentina in Kansas City on Saturday night after this happened earlier …
23 min Hydration break time, still greeted by boos, which are drowned out by the Macarena.
22 min Good save from Kobel! Lerma steps in on a loose ball some 30 yards out and it’s fed to Puerta. The midfielder cuts inside on his right foot and bends a shot towards the far corner which Kobel pushes out away at full stretch. Some action!
20 min Switzerland dally on the ball in their own box after some confident Colombia possession. Kobel takes no chances and gets it launched.
18 min Zakaria shields the ball out for a goal-kick under pressure from the tireless Mojica. Xhaka and Rodriguez get their wires crossed and the latter’s pass down the left rolls out for a throw-in.
16 min A fine backheel from Suárez sets Colombia on their way. Elvedi wins the tussle with Díaz as Rodríguez tries to play the ball through on the counter.
14 min Elvedi gets bored of Suárez and clatters into Díaz on the left wing after the Bayern winger knocks the ball past him. He escapes a yellow. Rodríguez’s delivery is incredibly enticing but Lucumí can’t get there.
12 min We get our first TV shot of Gianni Infantino in the stands. He is looking exceptionally glum today. On the pitch, Suárez and Elvedi continue their personal duel with a couple of aerial challenges.
10 min Every turnover of possession in Colombia’s favour is greeted by a huge roar. After Embolo drives at their defence, Colombia enjoy a bit of possession in the Switzerland half.
8 min Ndoye has a first-time swing at goal from the left of the penalty area but the flag goes up as Vargas gathers his shot easily. Suárez leaves one on Elvedi after the ball is gone. Bit feisty.
6 min The volume rises as Jhon Arias carries the ball into the Switzerland half. Zakaria gets back to poke his cross out for a corner before Díaz can reach it. Rodríguez’s corner is cleared and Ndoye wins a free-kick.
4 min Zakaria makes a driving run down the Switzerland right but Mojica is able to clear. Freuler gives Mojica a knee in the back in a challenge on halfway.
2 min It’s a bit of a frantic start. Zakaria wriggles away from Díaz on halfway but Sánchez pumps the ball out for a throw-in. The boos and whistles when Switzerland are on the ball are, well, loud. Goalkeeper Kobel skews a ball out of play, to more cheers.
Kick-off
Colombia get us under way after the countdown.
James Rodríguez and Granit Xhaka shake hands at the toss. The officials are from El Salvador.
“I would put my money on what could be worst match in the Round of 16 so far, surpassing the France v Paraguay game,” writes Ahmad bin Faisal. Stay tuned!
The Switzerland anthem is a mere prelude to the Colombia one. Daniel Muñoz belts it out, eyes closed. There are some tears in the crowd.
Kick-off is next.
Vancouver Stadium is unsurprisingly largely yellow, with a few patches of red (although they could be Canada shirts as well). There is an almighty roar as Luis Díaz is beamed on to the big screen.
We’ll park the chocolate chat – this is the sort of exposure Canadian businesses wanted from hosting the World Cup, surely – with kick-off approaching. Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi is sitting on the bench in a knee brace – he’ll play no part.
The mega player walk-out is upon us …
“As a Brit & naturalized American who lives in Alaska, Vancouver has been the closest World Cup venue, albeit a 2,200 mile drive away - slightly further than London to Ankara,” writes Mike from Girdwood, Alaska.
“The US is a huge country! On the positive side, whatever time the kickoff, it’s always during daylight!”
“Not a huge chocolate fan, but I can also vouch for Purdy’s -- their Sweet Georgia Browns (a sort of salted caramel/pecans/thick chocolate cluster) are the bomb. Not cheap, mind you,” writes David Marriott from Vancouver Island.
“Frustrating when I hear people make the comment that Colombia are lacking a proper striker, considering Jhon Duran didn’t even receive a call up to the selection! What’s the story there?” asks Carlos.
Durán was named in the 55-man preliminary list but was left out of the final squad after being granted a leave of absence by Zenit in May. The former Aston Villa striker joined the Russian club on loan from Al-Nassr in February but has played very little since. So, it’s a bit of a mystery.
Luis Suárez scored 38 times in all competitions for Sporting last season but is still waiting for his first goal at this World Cup – he set up the winner against Ghana.
“There is a legendary chocolate brand based in B.C. called Purdy’s that you should check out! It rivals the Swiss confections, IMHO. As for coffee, I’ll take a hard pass - far too bitter for my palate, and I have tried it in nearly all its forms and permutations!”
This is exactly the kind of response to my Vancouver-chocolate blind spot that I wanted in my inbox – thank you, leroadrunner.
“As for the match, I’m not sure who to cheer for here. Obviously I have a grudge against Switzerland for denying Canada home field, lol, but I’m also not happy with Colombia knocking out Ghana - too many quality African sides have been eliminated (looking at you, Senegal, Algeria, and now Egypt). I guess I will be a true neutral and hope for a fair and exciting match! While I eat my Purdy’s with a big, cool, glass of milk!”
Colombia’s last two last-16 matches at the World Cup have been memorable. In 2014, it was James Rodríguez’s Puskas-winning chest and volley against Uruguay. In 2018, it was Yerry Mina’s dramatic late equaliser before a penalty shootout defeat to England.
“I like coffee. I like chocolate. I like knockout football. I’ve come to the right place, haven’t I?”
Yes you have, Peter Oh. Apparently Vancouver is a coffee-keen city too, but I’m relying on a Google AI overview to tell me this. Not sure about chocolate, but who doesn’t like chocolate?
For those of you tuning in expecting to see David Ospina in goal for Colombia, you will probably be disappointed. The 37-year-old former Arsenal keeper is no longer No 1 for his country, although he is on the bench.
Camilo Vargas is the first choice for Colombia these days – at 37, he’s by no means a newcomer but has managed to supplant Ospina. Vargas plays his club football in Mexico and has quite the backstory – including witchcraft, curses and a very spiritual mother-in-law. Read more in our player guide …
Colombia’s route to the last 16
Group K – P3 W2 D1 L0
Won 3-1 v Uzbekistan, Mexico City
Won 1-0 v DR Congo, Guadalajara
Drew 0-0 v Portugal, Miami
Last 32
Won 1-0 v Ghana, Kansas City
Top scorers
Daniel Muñoz 2
Luis Díaz, Jaminton Campaz, Jhon Arias 1
Top assist-makers
Luis Díaz, Juan Quintero, Gustavo Puerta, Juan Hernández, Luis Suárez 1
Switzerland’s route to the last 16
Group B – P3 W2 D1 L0
Drew 0-0 v Qatar, San Francisco Bay Area
Won 4-1 v Bosnia and Herzegovina, Los Angeles
Won 2-1 v Canada, Vancouver
Last 32
Won 2-0 v Algeria, Vancouver
Top scorers
Johan Manzambi 3
Breel Embolo, Rubén Vargas 2
Top assist-makers
Breel Embolo, Johan Manzambi 2
Rubén Vargas 1
I don’t think I need to tell you who the danger men are … although there is no Manzambi today. Milan’s Ardon Jashari starts in his place.
Iván Bartón was the referee who came out with that booming voice when sending Miguel Almirón off for covering his mouth in the group stage, by the way … and that is at least something to look forward to if we have a VAR review.
Lineups: James Rodríguez starts for Colombia
Both teams have a veteran Rodriguez in their XI, with Ricardo at left-back for Switzerland and James retaining his place for Colombia after coming off at half-time in the previous round against Ghana.
Switzerland (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Rieder, Jashari, Ndoye; Embolo.
Subs: Mvogo, Keller, Muheim, Widmer, Sow, Fassnacht, Vargas, Comert, Okafor, Amdouni, Amenda, Itten.
Colombia (4-3-3): Vargas; Muñoz, Sánchez, Lucumí, Mojica; Puerta, Lerma, J Arias; Rodríguez, Suárez, Díaz.
Subs: Ospina, Montero, S Arias, Castano, Rios, Carrascal, Cordoba, Mina, Portilla, Ditta, Hernández, Quintero, Campaz, Machado, Gómez.
Referee: Iván Bartón (El Salvador)
Team news is coming up shortly but one man who definitely won’t be involved this afternoon in Vancouver is Johan Manzambi. Switzerland’s breakout star of this tournament – with three goals and two assists – has been ruled out with a knee injury. Michel Aebischer and Luca Jaquez are also not fit to play.
‘Yellow fever’ has reached Vancouver! After Mexico City, Guadalajara, Miami and Kansas City, the mass migration of Colombia fans has reached its northernmost point.
José Orlando Asencio has been speaking to a few of them, including a family trekking across the States in a minivan …
Argentina await the winners in Saturday’s quarter-final in Kansas City after producing a sensational late comeback against Egypt, with Lionel Messi scoring one and setting up another before Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time winner.
Scott Murray just about kept it all together …
And Ed Aarons has summed it up nicely …
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the final fixture of the World Cup’s last 16 – not much has happened, eh? It’s all gone smoothly so far for Switzerland and Colombia, who topped their groups and progressed through the last 32 with a minimum of fuss. For Switzerland, they are looking to take the next step that so often eludes them – reaching a World Cup quarter-final. Since they played in the last eight at their home tournament of 1954, they’ve failed to clear this hurdle five times and were knocked out at this stage in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
As for Colombia, they are out to emulate the class of 2014 – and still have a few of those faces hanging around. James Rodríguez is their captain but has struggled to make an impact at these finals. Their run 12 years ago was ended by hosts Brazil and no doubt a quarter-final date with Argentina on Saturday will be highly prized. Their fans, as always, have turned up in huge numbers.
The curtain comes down on Canada’s involvement in this World Cup too, with Vancouver Stadium hosting its final game of the tournament.
Kick-off is 1pm local time, 4pm EST, 9pm BST and 6am AEST. Let’s go.
