Colombia have conceded just once at the World Cup so far, establishing themselves as one of the tournament\u2019s most stubborn defensive units. Their last-16 meeting on Tuesday takes them to Vancouver\u2019s BC Place to face their toughest opponent yet: 20-year-old breakout talent Johan Manzambi and Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Manzambi began the tournament as a substitute in the opening game against Qatar, but his impact quickly accelerated. After coming off the bench and finding the net twice in a 4-1 victory over Bosnia, he has become a central piece of Murat Yakin\u2019s attacking plans, contributing three goals and two assists to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the first day, he was a special player, a valuable player \u2026 he\u2019s improving from game to game, and he\u2019s very dangerous for every attack,\u201d Yakin said after Manzambi provided an assist for Breel Embolo\u2019s opener in Switzerland\u2019s 2-0 last-32 win over Algeria.<\/p>\n
Switzerland\u2019s forward group\u2014Manzambi, Embolo, Dan Ndoye and Ruben Vargas\u2014has carried its momentum into North America. The quartet has been responsible for eight of the Swiss side\u2019s nine goals, and they arrive in Vancouver after a relatively comfortable victory over Algeria.<\/p>\n
Both teams head into the knockout round still unbeaten at the World Cup. Colombia have blended attacking energy, tempo and flair with a disciplined, physical defensive approach that limits the space their opponents can use.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Colombia is for sure a different style of play to how they play football \u2013 they will play emotional football, but also very intensive and straightforward. We have to be prepared for that, because I think this will be a very strong collective opponent,\u201d Swiss midfielder Ardon Jashari cautioned ahead of the match.<\/p>\n
For Switzerland, the route through Colombia\u2019s defence will likely run through Manzambi. He is frequently the option his teammates pick out to ignite counter-attacks, and his assist for Embolo against Algeria came from a sharp run down the left channel. Switzerland will aim to keep him involved whenever they can turn defence into attack.<\/p>\n
Yakin also praised Manzambi\u2019s overall effect on the team. \u201cBesides the fact that he brings out the quality of the other players on the pitch, he\u2019s also very humble, he works cleverly and is team-oriented. It\u2019s a great pleasure to see him play like that,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd of course, if he helps the team to win, then it\u2019s even nicer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The victor of Tuesday\u2019s last-16 tie will advance to the quarter-finals to take on either Argentina or Egypt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Colombia have conceded just once at the World Cup so far, establishing themselves as one of the tournament\u2019s most stubborn defensive units. Their last-16 meeting on Tuesday takes them to Vancouver\u2019s BC Place to face their toughest opponent yet: 20-year-old breakout talent Johan Manzambi and Switzerland. Manzambi began the tournament as a substitute in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"World Cup Last 16: Manzambi Leads Switzerland vs Colombia","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Switzerland\u2019s Johan Manzambi takes on Colombia in the World Cup last 16 at BC Place as Colombia\u2019s stingy defense faces its toughes","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n