Key events
Switzerland had all the ball but failed to do anything with it.
73% possession but only one more – four to three – attempt than Bosnia. And most of those were from range.
Xhaka was been majestic but that’s about it.
Half-time: Switzerland 0-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina
That’ll be that. Pretty drab if I’m being honest.
45+3 min: I’m going to copy and paste “Ndoye jinks down the left, wriggles, cuts but can’t find the final ball”. Because that has happened yet again and I’m sure it won’t be the last time it happens.
45+2 min: More good defensive work from the Bosnians as they easily clear a Rodriguez clipped cross from the byline down the left.
45+1 min: That Rodriguez ball that bounces into the arms of Vasilj and is nowhere near a teammate sums it up. He smiles, but this has been very frustrating from the Swiss. Once again Ndoye runs around down the left but doesn’t get a cross away.
44 min: Ooooh, Bosnia should have done better there. Lovely from Alajbegovic who gathered on the left flank, cut infield and waited for Kolasinac to run past him. Dzeko was at the back post but the ball didn’t reach him as the cross was steered away for a Bosnian corner. They can’t do anything with the set piece opportunity. Still, that was slick interplay.
43 min: Dedic runs down the Bosnian right. He looks more confident as he takes on a defender. But he leaves the ball behind and Switzerland are back on it to the sound of boos. Funny game this.
40 min: Dzeko shoots from inside Switzerland’s box and it’s closed down. Much better from Bosnia who unfurled a sweeping move that took them on the edge of the Swiss area. They lost the ball but won it back after a cheap giveaway by the Swiss. As it rolled across the D, Dzeko lined up his effort but the onrushing cover from Akanji was too quick for him. Again, that just proves how precarious this is for the Swiss despite their dominance of the ball.
39 min: The ball hits the referee as Xhaka’s forward pass doesn’t reach its target. Always exciting/frustrating. They restart with with a dropped ball and Switzerland are back on the attack. Ndoye cuts this way and that, Dedic has him covered and the call is for a goal kick. Ndoye can’t believe it. Dedic will be pleased with how that tussle is going so far.
36 min: Switzerland all over Bosnia. They win a corner when Embolo’s header back infield bounces off a defender. But you know what, Katic and co are up to the task. After from that Freuler fizzer just before the break, they’ve kept Switzerland at arm’s length despite the possession imbalance. And now Memic cuts infield off his left wing and fires a shot. It’s straight at Kobel and from a long way out. But that underlines the danger of this scoreline.
34 min: Ndoye has his man on toast down the left. He just can’t find that final pass. Not for the first time he drops a shoulder and gets himself into a crossing position. The ball is drilled low and is easily cleared.
33 min: That’s woken up the Bosnian fans who are back to booing as Switzerland pass the ball around. Widmer plays a give and go that almost puts him free inside the right of Bosnia’s box. But once again swift defence on the cover snuffs out the danger.
32 min: Alajbegovic slips in a lovely ball for Dzeko down the left inside the Swiss box. The veteran forward looks up and dinks a floater to the back post but no one can get on the end of it. Really good from young Alajbegovic. He needs more of the ball if they can get it to him. Bosnia’s best move of the game.
30 min: As expected, that drinks break has stripped Switzerland of their fluency. They’ve been reduced to lumping long balls to Embolo who has been well covered by the Bosnian centrebacks.
27 min: A rare loose pass from Xhaka in an advanced position lets Bosnia off the hook. But Switzerland are back on it after sloppiness from Bosnia though Embolo can’t bring the ball under control. Now Bosnia are on the ball with Memic down the left. This is their longest spell in possession. There’s a tame ball into the box from young Alajbegovic which Xhaka, back lending a hand, hoofs away.
25 min: They’re back after a drink.
Stephen McCrossan just wants to say that “Granit Xhaka is a lovely footballer”.
He really is.
Russell Brady adds: “Swiss attack asking questions, unlike the country’s banking executives”
Four readers have made jokes about cheese.
Hydration break. Yuck. I wonder if that might take some of the wind out of Switzerland’s sails. They’ve utterly dominated this first quarter.
23 min: Freuler has a pop from long range and it fizzes past the post on the right as Vasilj dives across. Fair enough. Switzerland were zipping it around but not quite working the shooting opportunity.
21 min: Dedic versus Ndoye down the Swiss left is the contest of the game so far. Ndoye moves centrally and links with Xhaka but credit to the Bosnians. They’re getting outplayed and they’re loose on the ball themselves, but they’re committed. How long can they keep this up for, though?
19 min: Ndoye skins his man down the left and gets in the box but the low cross is blocked. Then Widmer shifts into free ground inside the box on the right, but the diagonal is a little too long for him as he leaps in an attempt to reach it. A minute later Ndoye shoots after Bosnia give the ball away. It’s so one-sided but the Swiss know that doesn’t count.
18 min: Switzerland with all the ball. They’re moving it quickly though. It doesn’t feel ponderous but they are forced to go back to their centrebacks. Akanji rakes a ball for Widmer down the right flank. Nothing doing so they recycle again.
16 min: Ndoye is finding room down the left. He brings down a long diagonal but the cover defence is swift and he’s dispossessed before he can cause any mischief.
15 min: Now then. Memic manages to hook the ball away from Rodriguez on the halfway line and canters after it himself. He’s all alone on the right wing. He has two mates in the box but the cross is a howler, far too long and wide and it floats away for a goal kick. He knows that was a proper chance.
13 min: Lovely again from Xhaka. Inside left, he paasses for Rieder who is unmarked in the box. He spins and fizzes a low pass for the rushing Ndoye. But it’s a touch behind him so he tries to flick it with his trailing leg. He misses. Good chance that. Goal coming at this rate.
11 min: Xhaka rakes a delicious ball from inside his box and it lands at Embolo’s feel just on the edge of the area. He’s off-side, but that’s not the first time the Bosnians have tried to play a high line. They could get caught out if they persist, especially if Xhaka is one it, as he seems to be.
9 min: The short corner is eventually crossed in but again it’s a poor delivery. But Switzerland get hold of it once again after there’s an odd handball call against. Bosnian (missed who that was as Switzerland moved things along swiftly). It’s all Switzerland. Another cross from the left is easily dealt with. Xhaka gets on the front foot and slides in a pass to Embolo who ghosted into the box on the inside channel on the left. He turns and shoots but misses at the near post. Good from the Swiss. They look more threatening when they’re not just hoiking balls in the mixer.
7 min: The first corner doesn’t beat the first man but they get a second. This one is played short and Rodruiguez hoists a cross in from a 45 degree angle, looking for Akanji. That’s also easily cleared. Switzerland, as expected, are bossing possession. Xhaka takes a shot from distance and it’s deflected away for another corner, this time on the right.
6 min: Dedic is caught in possession deep in his own half. Switzerland work the ball around the left corner with Rodriguez involved. The ball is floated into the Bosnian box where Muharemovic gets himself in a proper tangle. It bounces off his standing leg and bobbles away for a Swiss corner.
5 min: There are more Bosnian fans in the stands. Every time Switzerland sit on the ball they’re greeted with boos and whistles. They have it now with Akanji sparking a move with a forward ball to Embolo through the lines, but he was off-side as Muharemovic stepped up.
4 min: Embolo brings the ball down for Switzerland in midfield, dropping deep. It’s recycled down the left but they can’t make the move stitch. Goalkick for Bosnia after a pretty tame start from both teams.
3 min: The corner is knocked away safely by Switzerland by the Bosnians come back. There’s a dinked ball from the left into Dzeko but he’s well covered. Switerland escape unharmed
1 min: Early foul down the left gives Alajbegovic a chance to whip in a ball for Bosnia. It’s long and knocked behind for a corner at the far post by Widmer for a Bosnian corner.
Kick-off!
They’re underway!
This is ominous from Andrew Traynor (the last last mail before kick-off):
Hey Daniel. An Englishman living in the urban hellscape between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Yet to see a truly bad game yet (in fairness, I’ve missed a lot) unless you count the one-sided opener. But I’ve a feeling Switzerland and Bosnia are going to break that record.
As they say in my home country, eish!
Anthems done.
The Swiss was a little jaunty and sweet and over quickly, the Bosnian one was stirring and instrumental and, for some reason, made every Bosnian player wear a pained look on his face. Maybe that’s just how they look when they’re locked in.
As the players emerge from the tunnel, and the enormous flags stretch across the pitch of this humungous stadium, let’s take a couple last emails before kick-off.
Keep the correspondence coming, I just hope the game is so much fun I won’t have time to get to them all.
“I’m not sure I agree with my compatriot Steve Gisselbrecht that soccer needs quarterly ad breaks to succeed on TV,” says Ron Stack.
“NBC broadcasts the Premier League without them, and streamers show other European leagues the same way. I’m sure that broadcasters appreciate having additional ad blocks to sell, but I’m not sure that slouching toward the NFL TV experience is the only way to grow a fan base. I do agree that, if the breaks become standard, the game will change as teams start to strategize around them.”
James Humphries has the last word before the anthems start:
“Hiya Dan, You think you’ve got it bad, the new motherwell manager’s just been announced and he’s four years younger than me. I’m just hoping nobody at this world cup turns out to be the grandson of someone I remember watching (let’s face it, it’ll probably be a Schmeichel when it does happen).
“I used to be with it, and then they changed what it was, etc. Still, if Messi can do it at 39 then why can’t – *sleeps wrong, pulls muscle in neck*”
We’re going over old ground moaning about the ad/water breaks, but, to mix metaphors, that is a deep well.
Here’s Rachel Clifton from across the pond to share a take that I’m sure will resonate with most:
Football IS shown here on regular tv – the Premier League is on NBC and USA and the Champions League is on CBS. They do not break for ads during the game – and even have a couple of hours post-game without ads from time to time. As a Brit living here (12 years and counting…), I get very annoyed at this idea that football should change for US sensibilities but we should all accept them calling the Super Bowl winners “World Champions” when they play fewer than 20 other teams all from the US.
Karen Carney has just called Dzeko a “machine”. I’ve loved the old boys banging in the goals this tournament.
I turned 38 in June. One of the worst things about growing up as a sports fan is watching the list of players older than you rapidly dwindle.
I don’t really care who wins the tournament (I mean, South Africa aren’t going to do it). My only wish is that when the best XI is assembled every player was born before June 1988.
Some more mails:
“Hello Daniel,” says regular correspondent, Krishna Moorthy. “Can’t believe this is your first MBM!”
Good to be here!
“This will be a lively contest. Not many European teams understand or assess Bosnia properly . I will not be surprised if they notch up a win. I spent 8 months of 2025 in that country and boy! Are they passionate about their game! South Africa and Czech can make their plans for the summer. They can’t beat Mexico or South Korea . Tournament over for them.”
I agree, sadly. Anyway, here’s David Marriott:
“Greetings from sunny Vancouver Island, Canada. The parochialism is the same here in Canada, with TSN now going on about the black Canada kit. Having said that, we do have pretty good pundits in Kevin Kilbane and Steven Caldwell. The commercial breaks are there too, usually about two and a half minutes long — sadly, the future of football, I think.”
I get it. Got to pander to the home crowd on occasion.
Glad to say we’re now seeing the experts analyse this game.
Steve Gisselbrecht has written in to provide some real world perspective on the water breaks:
Hi there. I just want to say, as someone born and raised in the US, that soccer will never be a truly major sport here until it’s shown on regular TV, and that’s not happening without ad breaks. I don’t write to praise US capitalism or the media landscape it produces! I only acknowledge that that’s the country I live in.
Fair play. But it still sucks. And not just because these are ad slots masquerading as drinks breaks. But because it disrupts the flow of games. I fully acknowledge that money makes the ball go round, but when it comes at the expense of the game itself then I don’t like it.
Another gripe now.
I’m watching the build up to this game on ITV and they’re banging on about England’s win over Croatia in great detail.
Look, I know it’s ITV, I know the majority of their audience are far more invested in Harry Kane than Dan Ndoye, but doe they have to be so parochial?
Oh, and now they’re going to the Scotland camp!
FFS.
Just had a glance at the weather in Inglewood California.
It’s a mild 22 C. Nowhere near hot enough to warrant a hydration break. But we’ll have one anyway.
Look, I know you’re bored of all the moaning about advert breaks drinks breaks, but this is my first MBM. So let me have that one if you don’t mind.
We’ve got our first email of the night.
It’s from Kári Tulinius who straddle the game that’s just gone and the game to come like a pro:
Hello Daniel,
You’re not wrong about Bafana Bafana’s performance, but the Czechs didn’t deserve a win after spending the second half being as proactive as a block of cheese. That’s how I feel about the Swiss performance against Qatar too, though they weren’t quite as negative. If other teams learn from the Czechs and Swiss not to try to sit on a one goal lead, that will be good for the competition.
To be fair ti Switzerland, they did create more opportunities to score a second against Qatar. They just wasted every one.
How about some analysis on the teams then.
Switzerland have made two changes to the side that fluffed it against Qatar.
In comes right back Silvan Widmer who replaces Denis Zakaria (who is more of a midfielder) and Fabian Rieder will hopefully provide more passing through the lines than Ruben Vargas.
Bosnia have handed a starting berth to their skipper and 40-year-old talisman Edin Dzeko. Ivab Sunjic replaces Ivan Basic and the 18-year-old winger Kerim Alajbegovic starts in place of Esmir Bajraktarevic.
It’s as if both teams are telegraphing their intent. Bosnia will look to break at pace and stick in the mixer as often as they can. Switzerland will want to boss possession.
I’m hoping we get to see Alajbegovic in a 1-v-1 situation against 33-year-old Widmer. I’ve got a feeling that could be a tasty match-up.
While we get through the gears and build towards kick-off, here are my two favourite bits from my colleagues today:
Jonny Liew (as you’d expect) is brilliant here:
And David Squires (as you’d expect) is brilliant here:
They are two very talented men, aren’t they?
South Africa salvaged a draw in the game that’s just concluded.
If you think I’ve been too harsh on my compatriots, drop Daniel Harris a line as he wraps up the blog on that one:
Teams
Switzerland 4-3-3: Kobel; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka (c), Aebischer; Rieder, Embolo, Ndoye.
Substitutes: Mvogo, Keller, Coemert, Amenda, Jaquez, Zakaria, Manzambi, Jashari, Sow, Fassnacht, Vargas, Okafor, Amdouni, Itten.
Bosnia & Herzogvina 4-4-2: Vasilj; Muharemovic, Kolasinac, Katic, Dedic; Tahirovic, Sunjic, Memic, , Alajbegovic; Demirovic, Dzeko (c).
Substitutes: Jurkas, Zlomislic, Mujakic, Hadzikadunic, Radeljic, Malic, Gigovic, Basic, Hadziahmetovic, Burnic, Mahmic, Bazdar, Bajraktarevic, Tabakovic, Lukic.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
It’s not quite do or die, but there’s loads at stake as a victory in this one could be enough to secure passage to the last 32.
Switzerland blew it against Qatar as they wasted a load of opportunities before conceding a 94th minute equaliser. Bosnia and Herzegovina weren’t pegged back as late as that, but they were 1-0 ahead against Canada until the 78th minute in their opening game.
With Group B in a grid-lock, four teams locked on a single point, any side that can get ahead of traffic with a win in this second round will feel pretty good about their chances of reaching the knockouts.
Switzerland will likely lean on their possession-based approach and back themselves to eventually make the pressure tell. They had 26 shots against Qatar, so chance creation clearly isn’t the problem. The question is whether they can move the ball quickly enough to pull Bosnia’s defensive block out of shape rather than just racking up territory and hopeful efforts.
B&H are expected to sit deep and break on the counter, looking to spring runners into the channels whenever Switzerland’s full-backs push on. And with some tall timber in the ranks, they’ll be a real threat at set pieces, especially if this becomes one of those tense, second-ball-heavy World Cup scraps.
With modern football tactics flattening so many differences between teams, this may come down to something beautifully old-fashioned: who takes their chances, who defends their box, and who keeps their head when the group starts to squeeze.
I’m looking forward to this one, primarily as a palate cleanser after my fellow South Africans once again stank out the place with an inept performance. After hat-watching Bafana Bafana, I can sit back and enjoy this.
Any thoughts? Drop me a mail
Kick-off at 8pm BST/5am AEST/12pm in California.
Teams and other bits to come.
