Following the conclusion of Switzerland vs. Canada and Bosnia vs. Qatar, Group B is officially the first group to complete all three group matchdays.
With these hotly contested matches now complete, it is Switzerland who will head into the knockout stages as the winners of Group B. Canada, who finished 2nd, will be playing in the knockout stages for the first time in the nation’s history. Bosnia and Herzegovina, who finished third with four points, is well-positioned to be one of the top eight third-place teams. Qatar once again finished bottom of their group for the second straight World Cup.
Switzerland win Group B
With all to play for, Switzerland needed a win over Canada to leapfrog them and finish top of Group B. After a quiet first half from both teams, Switzerland opened the scoring early in the second half. Ruben Vargas needed just 40 seconds to get the ball past Crepeau, scoring his 2nd goal of the tournament.
The great start of the half continued for the Swiss side just 11 minutes, with Johan Manzambi scoring his 3rd goal of this World Cup. Embolo carried the ball into the box and, after the Canadian defender lost his footing, the Switzerland forward teed up Manzambi for the first-time finish.
Canada managed to respond in the 76th minute, via a Promise David goal, but it was not enough for the hosts to snag a point. The Reds ended the match with 7 shots on target and recorded a higher xG than Switzerland, but they found it challenging to be clinical in the final third.
Bosnia are nearly past the finish line
After just one point in their first two games, Bosnia needed a victory against Qatar to all but secure their spot as one of the top 8 third place teams. With the expectation of dominating the matchup, Bosnia did just that.
The European side found a deserving breakthrough in the 29th minute as Kerim Alajbegovic danced past multiple Qatar defenders before thundering a right-footed effort that left the Seattle crowd stunned. The lead quickly doubled just five minutes later. An unfortunate moment for Mahmud Abunada, as the effort from Bosnian legend Edin Dzeko ricocheted off the keeper.
Qatar was able to respond quickly before the end of the first half. A fantastic deep cross from Pedro Miguel found Edmilson at the back post. Edmilson then set up Hassan Al Haidos for an easy tap-in from just a few yards out to get Qatar back into the match.
After back-and-forth play for most of the second half, Bosnia were finally able to seal the match in the 80th minute. With chaos in the box, the ball bobbled into Dennis Hadzikadunic’s path, where he found Ermin Mahmic, who poked a right-footed shot past Abunada.
What’s Next?
Switzerland will play a third-place team on July 2nd in Vancouver.
Canada will play the runner-up of Group A on June 28th in Inglewood.
With four points, Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently first in the ranking of third-placed teams.
