Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Switzerland reignited their World Cup challenge with a 4-1 thrashing of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday as South Africa kept their tournament alive with a draw against the Czech Republic. With the opening round of group stage fixtures now complete, Thursday’s fixtures got under way with several teams looking to secure their qualification for the last 32.
Switzerland, held to a disappointing 1-1 draw against Qatar in their opening Group B match, got their campaign back on track with a convincing defeat of the Bosnians at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Johan Manzambi scored twice while Ruben Vargas and Granit Xhaka were on target in a late flurry of goals for the Swiss, who are dreaming of advancing beyond the last 16 for the first time at this World Cup. The Swiss now lead the group with four points and are within sight of the knockout rounds.
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But Bosnia, who upset Italy in a playoff to reach this year’s tournament, are on the brink after a damaging loss that leaves them with one point from two games. In other games on Thursday, South Africa, who had two men sent off in an abject 2-0 defeat to Mexico in Group A last week, resurrected their slender qualification hopes with a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic in Atlanta. Teboho Mokoena’s penalty earned a point for South Africa after Michal Sadilek opened the scoring for the Czechs.
Mokoena’s late spot-kick kept both teams in the hunt for the last 32, although they will almost certainly have to win their final Group A fixture to advance. Both sides move onto one point, two behind co-hosts Mexico and South Korea, who face off later on Thursday. South Africa next face South Korea, while the Czechs have the daunting task of playing Mexico in the Estadio Azteca. South Africa’s draw means that Mexico can clinch first place with a victory over South Korea later Thursday. Both South Korea and Mexico won their opening group games last week, and meet in a potential group decider in Guadalajara that has been shrouded in intrigue after Mexican authorities brought down a drone that was spotted hovering over the South Korean training camp earlier this week.
Off the pitch, Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi has been authorized to enter Canada for his country’s match against Germany on Saturday, after initially being denied a visa over reported spot-fixing allegations, a source close to the player said. The Ivorian football federation (FIF) had earlier announced Wahi would miss the game in Toronto. The source told AFP that Canadian authorities had delayed Wahi’s visa authorization after requesting further information regarding his legal situation, before eventually rubber-stamping his entry.
Several media reported that Wahi had been questioned by French prosecutors over suspicions of spot-fixing in a Ligue 1 match while he was playing for Nice. The case revolves around a yellow card which Wahi picked up in a 0-0 draw with Metz in mid-May, after betting authorities noticed an unusual volume of bets being placed on the 23-year-old receiving a booking.
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