Switzerland's Water Break Sparked a Stunning 4-1 Turnaround Against Bosnia

A World Cup match between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina changed dramatically after a drink break, with Switzerland eventually winning 4-1 after a dull 0-0 first half and a quiet start to the second. The article says the first and biggest twist came immediately after coach Murat Yakin made a triple substitution.

Yakin replaced Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Michael Aebischer with Johan Manzambi, Ruben Vargas and Djibril Sow. Switzerland also altered its shape and moved to a more attacking setup. Manzambi scored twice, and five of Switzerland's seven shots on target came after the drink break.

According to the report, the Bosnians had controlled the opening stages of the second half before the change. Sports5 quoted the Swiss outlet SPORT as saying, “The substitutes took risks,” and that Manzambi “brought missing dynamism and opened up the game.” The outlet added that Switzerland played “more open and more dominant” after the break, calling it “a statement of intent.”

Manzambi's first goal came two minutes after the drink break, which the article describes as effectively a coaching timeout. His second goal made him the youngest player ever to come off the bench and score a brace in a World Cup. The piece also says the red card after Switzerland's first goal ended the contest and that this was the clearest example yet of such a sharp before-and-after split around a drink break.