Switzerland have done it from the penalty spot, beating Colombia 4-3 in a shoot-out to book their place in the quarter-finals where they will face World Cup holders Argentina. Nobody is going to pretend that was a classic, but the Swiss will not care one bit right now.
It was one of those games where both sides seemed more afraid of losing than desperate to win, which made for a pretty cagey ninety minutes. Colombia had their moments and certainly were not without quality, but Switzerland were well organised and disciplined throughout, as you pretty much always expect them to be. They are not the most exciting team to watch, but they are genuinely hard to beat and that counts for a lot in a tournament.
When it went to penalties, Switzerland finally got the shoot-out success that has escaped them in the past. They were composed, they were clinical, and Colombia's misfortune in front of goal did not disappear when the pressure was at its absolute highest. It is brutal for the Colombians, who will feel they left something out on that pitch, but that is the lottery of penalties and there is no clean way to lose one.
Now Switzerland get Argentina, and look, nobody is fancying them to pull off a massive upset there. Messi and company are a different beast entirely and Switzerland will need something very special to progress. But you know what, people wrote them off to get this far and here they are. They defend well, they do not panic, and they will make Argentina work for it even if the result feels fairly predictable on paper.
For Colombia, this one is going to sting for a while. They had a decent tournament and showed real quality at times, but going out on penalties always feels like unfinished business. Their fans deserved better than a shoot-out exit, but that is football and it shows no mercy to anyone.
Let me know your thoughts.