Switzerland beat Canada to win Group B

The third round of the 2026 World Cup began with decisive duels in Group B, where, on the one hand, the situation was quite transparent, but a sensation could still happen at the end of the game day. The circumstances were such that in the final round of the group stage teams with the same number of points played at different poles of the tournament table. Switzerland and Canada decided between themselves who would advance to the playoffs from the first step, and who might fall down the standings to the third step. For this, one of the parties would have to lose, and then it was necessary to look at a parallel game. However, much depended on the meeting in Vancouver, where the hosts of the tournament had a certain advantage over their opponents due to the defeat of Qatar with a score of 6:0. This allowed Jesse Marsh's team to take fewer risks for Murat Yakin's wards, and at least the "wedge leaves" had the right to a draw. "Nata" did not have an option of such a caliber in the meantime, so it is not surprising that we saw the Swiss more often in the attack in the first half. And the guests probably created more moments. What is worth the double opportunity of Embolo and Manzambi at the beginning of the game in the center of the penalty box, when Crepo initially saved from the first shot, and Cornelius prevented the finish into the empty space. However, this outburst was almost the only one for both teams before the break, while the most interesting and controversial at the same time was the moment with warnings for Larin and Xhaka, when the Canadian prevented the opponent from taking a free kick, for which he was mechanically kicked, but both ended the episode with cards. So there was something for the fans to do during the break. In the second half, the Yakina team made a surprisingly strong start in attack, while Canada, on the contrary, fell apart. In the very first attack on the right flank, Manzambi made a long-range shot for Vargas, who hit the goal post. And in the 57th minute, the score became 2-0 in favor of "Nata" with the help of a brilliant body play from Embolo in the center of the penalty area during a throw-in from deep, which ended with a pass under a shot on the right flank for the same Manzambi, and the boy continued his scoring streak. Marsh's team was shocked by this turn of events, as the top spot in the group for Canada meant continued performances in home stadiums, while otherwise they would have had to cross the border. The fans also couldn't believe that the Maple Leafs were ready to give such an important advantage just like that, so they pushed their favorites forward in the last minutes. In some ways it helped, in some ways it hindered and overheated the Canadians, just like before the start of the game itself. But they still found their goal in the 76th minute, when Johnston charged forward through the right flank to Saliba, who with a cross found Promise David at the far end, for whom at that time it was only the first seconds of being on the football field. It turned out that it was just a prestige goal, and nothing more. Although the Canadians stubbornly continued to go forward and tried to play back, which was generally supported by the public, but the result of the game made Vancouver hum in farewell. According to the results of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, the Swiss national team in Group B finished with seven points on the first step, thus entering the playoffs, while Canada obtained four points, placed in second place and will also continue to fight. Switzerland — Canada 2:1 Goals: Vargas, 46, Manzambi, 57 — P. David, 76 Switzerland: Kobel — Jaques (Widmer, 74), Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez — Froyler, Xhaka — Manzambi (Fassnacht, 85), Sow (Ebischer, 74), Vargas (Ndoye, 80) — Embolo (Itten, 85). Canada: Crepeau — Johnston, De Fougerol, Cornelius, Lareia (Shaffelbourg, 83) — Buchanan (P. David, 75), Chouignier (Eustaquio, 59), N. Saliba, Ahmed (Millar, 59) — J. David, Larin (Oluwasei, 59). Warnings: Xhaka - Larin, Millar