VANCOUVER: With one goal conceded at the World Cup so far, Colombia’s defence is one of the stingiest at the tournament, but it will face its toughest test yet against 20-year-old breakout star Johan Manzambi and Switzerland in their last-16 clash at Vancouver’s BC Place on Tuesday.

Manzambi started the tournament as a substitute for the opener against Qatar, but since coming off the bench and scoring twice in a 4-1 win over Bosnia he has become an integral part of Murat Yakin’s attack, notching three goals and two assists so far.

“From the first day, he was a special player, a valuable player ... he’s improving from game to game, and he’s very dangerous for every attack,” Yakin said following Manzambi’s assist for Breel Embolo’s goal in their win over Algeria.

The Swiss attacking quartet of Manzambi, Embolo, Dan Ndoye and Ruben Vargas have been in fine form, scoring eight of their country’s nine goals between them.

Both sides are unbeaten so far at this World Cup, with Colombia combining a mix of passion, pace and flair in attack with a tough-tackling, disciplined defence that leaves little space for opponents to play in.

“I think Colombia is for sure a different style of play to how they play football — they will play emotional football, but also very intensive. We have to be prepared for that, because I think this will be a very strong collective opponent,” Swiss midfielder Ardon Jashari warned on Sunday.

The key to unlocking the Colombian defence will be Manzambi, who is often the man his team-mates look for when starting counter-attacks. His assist for Embolo’s goal against Algeria came from a penetrating run down the left, and the Swiss will seek to set him free whenever they have a chance to play in transition.

“Besides the fact that he brings out the quality of the other players on the pitch, he’s also very humble, he works cleverly and is team-oriented. It’s a great pleasure to see him play like that,” Yakin said.

Having experienced a hostile atmosphere in their 2-1 group-stage victory over co-hosts Canada, Jashari expects an equally passionate challenge from Colombia’s supporters.

“I think we felt it the most against Canada — 90% of the stadium was from Canada. This time it will be a little bit more special,” Jashari told reporters. “The Colombians are not only emotional on the pitch, but also in the stands. I think we also had that at the World Cup in Qatar with Brazil. Now it’s just another situation. We are in a knockout phase. It will certainly be a hot game, even in the stands.”

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2026