Switzerland knock out Colombia on penalties to reach World Cup quarter-finals

Davinson Sánchez looked to the heavens. Cucho Hernández trudged back to his teammates. And by the end, the rest of the Colombian team were on the grass as Switzerland danced, nearly alone in a sea of yellow. Switzerland had prevailed on penalties, 4-3, bringing an emotional end to more than two hours of tense, tentative, and ludicrously goal-free football in the World Cup last 16.

Switzerland advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since 1954, when that stage was the first in the knockout round of a Swiss-hosted tournament featuring a total of 16 teams. They will face a tall task to better that result, facing Lionel Messi and Argentina in Kansas City in four days’ time.

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