Eliminated by Controversial VAR Call? Switzerland Falls Just as It Came Closest to a Breakthrough

Like the country's most prestigious timepieces, the defining impression Swiss football has left on fans in recent decades is one of consistency. The World Cup quarter-finals have long been an insurmountable barrier for Swiss football, and Murat Yakin and his young charges ultimately failed to work a miracle. Against defending champions Argentina, Switzerland's journey at this World Cup came to an end. "Perhaps it was destined to be, and it is a pity — it is truly regrettable to be eliminated in this way," Yakin said after the match, a remark that serves as the perfect epilogue to Switzerland's campaign at this tournament.

Swiss Squad Unloads on VAR

Before VAR spotted Embolo's diving and showed him a second yellow card that sent him off, Switzerland and Argentina had been on level terms — one could even say that a Swiss side which had just equalized was gaining the upper hand. It is precisely why the entire Swiss camp directed all its fury over the elimination at that decision.

"We controlled the game and dictated the play. Yet that red card… we were punished by a rule that I find completely unacceptable. I cannot understand it. To be eliminated in this manner is truly painful. I don't think we deserved this outcome today."

At the post-match press conference, Yakin argued, "The referee made the wrong decision, and his intervention was utterly incomprehensible. That kind of situation has happened many times before. I know FIFA protects referees, but this rule destroys the game, and it is agonizing. To be eliminated in this way truly hurts. Unfortunately, we have to accept the fact."

Midfielder Freuler said he was proud of the team. "You could see we gave 100 percent effort. We were fighting for Switzerland. I cannot understand how the video assistant referee (VAR) could make that call. FIFA must explain that decision to us."

Defender Akanji spoke with palpable anger. "When the referee is against you, things become very difficult. Every marginal call went Argentina's way. I normally don't comment on referees, but I have never experienced a match so one-sided in its officiating. Argentine players dived and didn't even get a single yellow card."

In his view, the match was genuinely hard for Switzerland. "When the final whistle blew, I felt very proud. Our opponent was the defending champion, and in open play they didn't even create a single chance. If the game had continued 11 against 11, anything was possible. We were the better side."

Ndoye, who scored the equalizing goal, recalled, "After leveling, we got back into the rhythm of the game. Yet, just as we were in full swing and at one of our strongest moments, a single call saw one of our players sent off. To be honest, I watched the replay of that incident again after the match, and to me there was simply no foul. But the decision turned what could have been a yellow for them into a yellow for us, and because of an alleged dive in the attacking area our player was sent straight off."

"This is absolutely the first time in my life I've seen such a decision — especially if the referee thought it was because of our diving, when in fact they had no shortage of simulation on their side either. So the standard applied in that call is completely incomprehensible, and that makes it very hard to accept."

Quarter-finals: Already a Historic Equal

This match was Switzerland's sixth at this World Cup, meaning they have already set a national record for the most matches played at a single World Cup. Reaching the quarter-finals is Switzerland's best result, and on the previous three occasions they failed to get past this stage — losing 2-3 to Czechoslovakia in 1934, 0-2 to Hungary in 1938, and 5-7 to Austria in 1954.

However, in those ancient-era World Cups the number of participating teams never exceeded 16, and advancing from the group stage meant reaching the quarter-finals, so the difficulty of getting there was far lower than today. In the 32-team and 48-team formats, Switzerland reaching the quarter-finals this time is already its best achievement; in the previous three tournaments (2014, 2018, 2022) the Swiss were eliminated in the first knockout round (the Round of 16) right after group-stage exits.

Fans jokingly call the Swiss team the "Round-of-16 regulars" of the World Cup, but this is in fact no easy feat. The Swiss league is not among the mainstream in Europe, and a large portion of this squad consists of immigrant players; to stamp a team with the label "disciplined" consistently over more than two decades is no small challenge. Veterans like former captain Xhaka and Ricardo Rodriguez have served the national team for over a decade, and they always deliver very stable performances at major tournaments.

Switzerland also periodically sees the emergence of young, gifted players — at this tournament it was Manzambi; had he not been sidelined by injury for this match, the Swiss could have posed a greater threat in attack. Embolo, who received the red card, was the emblem of a generational talent a decade ago; and there was also Vonlanthen, who burst onto the scene at the European Championship even earlier, only to fade into obscurity within a few years. For Swiss football to achieve a breakthrough greater than today's, it will need more talented players to emerge together as a group.

"I think our unity all along, and the way we kept fighting and supporting each other today even a man down, prove that this team is full of energy and passion for the game. I truly feel immensely proud right now."

After the elimination, Yakin still praised his players' performance. "In my eyes, my boys are the real heroes. They poured all their heart and passion into the match today. I can tell you, we are extremely proud of how the team performed at this tournament. And now we are eliminated — that is the reality."

Ndoye also said that reaching the quarter-finals is a result the players can be proud of. "We left everything on the pitch today and gave our maximum effort. Although we ultimately failed to advance, that's just how it goes. No matter what, as we head home, we'll carry with us this certainty: we held nothing back and gave it our all."