Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye struck either side of half-time as Switzerland beat Algeria 2-0 at BC Place to secure their first World Cup knockout-stage victory since 1954.
In a Round of 32 tie laden with subplots, Algeria coach Vladimir Petković facing the Swiss side he managed for seven years, it was Murat Yakin's team who controlled proceedings from the outset in Vancouver.
The breakthrough arrived in the 10th minute. Twenty-year-old Johan Manzambi embarked on a brilliant run down the flank and delivered a precise cutback for Embolo to tap in from close range.
Manzambi's assist took him to five goal contributions at this tournament, three goals and two assists, making him the youngest player to reach that tally at a World Cup since 1966.
Algeria, needing a response, struggled to create clear openings against a disciplined Swiss rearguard. Farès Chaïbi picked up a yellow card in the 36th minute as frustration crept into the Algerian play.
Any hopes of a second-half revival were extinguished almost immediately. Just 48 seconds after the restart, Ndoye pounced on a failed clearance and slotted a low shot past goalkeeper Luca Zidane to double the lead.
Switzerland were comfortable thereafter, their midfield dictating tempo while Algeria's attacking efforts remained disjointed. Hicham Boudaoui was booked in the 72nd minute as the North Africans grew increasingly desperate.
The Swiss could have added further gloss in the 82nd minute, but substitute Fabian Rieder somehow missed a wide-open net from a yard out, scuffing his effort directly into Zidane.
Late injuries to Algeria's Rafik Belghali and Switzerland's Denis Zakaria prompted precautionary substitutions, though the severity of neither issue has been confirmed.
For Petković, the reunion ended in disappointment. His pre-match insistence that Algeria needed to give 120 per cent proved prophetic, they fell short of that mark and exit the tournament with one win, one draw, and two losses.
Switzerland, meanwhile, exorcised decades of knockout-round heartbreak. Embolo had spoken before the match of wanting to write history, and his early goal set the tone for a professional, controlled performance.
Yakin's side will remain in Vancouver for the Round of 16, where they will face the winner of Colombia versus Ghana on Tuesday, July 7.
Algeria's World Cup campaign is over, their wait for a first knockout victory extending further still.








