VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Swiss standout Johan Manzambi will miss his team’s Round of 16 match in the first round of the knockout stages. world cup He was injured in Tuesday’s game against Colombia.
Manzambi was one of three Swiss players who finished training early Monday morning in the team’s final preparations for Tuesday’s match.
Two other players, Ruben Vargas and Djibril Sou, were off the bench.
Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said on Monday that the players would undergo further “medical tests” to see if they would be able to play against Colombia.
“This would be a huge loss if they can’t play tomorrow,” Yakin said Monday. “But this is football, you always have to adjust until the last moment.”
Manzambi had three goals and two assists in Switzerland’s first four World Cup games. The 20-year-old midfielder started on the bench in this tournament, but made an outstanding performance as a substitute, scoring two goals in a 19-minute cameo against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
By Game 3 between Switzerland and Canada, Manzambi had earned a starting spot.
The Swiss team, which was already without defender Luca Jacques and midfielder Michel Aebischer, has been further hampered by Manzambi’s injury. Jaquez started against Canada but did not play in Switzerland’s last-32 match against Algeria.
After starting the first two games, Aebischer only played 16 minutes against Canada and three minutes against Algeria.
Colombia is grappling with its own problems. Striker John Cordova will miss the rest of the tournament with a muscle strain. The team has also dealt with illnesses in camp. However, coach Nestor Lorenzo said it would not affect the game.
“We’ve been hit by the virus, but we’re all doing pretty well,” Lorenzo said.
The winner will face Argentina in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
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