Switzerland reach World Cup quarter-finals for first time since 1954 after beating Colombia on penalties

Switzerland finally break their long wait for a World Cup quarter-final after beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes.

The Swiss survive a tense shootout in Vancouver and now face Lionel Messi and Argentina in Kansas City, with Colombia left heartbroken after missing their chance from the spot.

Switzerland win the shootout! Ruben Vargas keeps his cool and sends Camilo Vargas the wrong way to seal a dramatic victory.

The Swiss reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954 after a tense 120 minutes and a nervy penalty shootout.

Luis Díaz delivers under pressure! The Colombian star steps up and fires home a composed penalty to level the shootout.

Now Switzerland have the chance to win it.

Itten keeps his nerve! He sends the penalty down the middle and puts Switzerland back in front in the shootout.

Colombia are now under huge pressure.

What a save from Kobel! Cucho Hernández tries to put Colombia back in front, but the Swiss goalkeeper dives to his right and keeps it out.

Switzerland are still alive in the shootout.

A huge chance goes begging for Switzerland! Akanji steps up and gets underneath his penalty, sending it over the bar.

The Colombian fans erupt inside BC Place, the shootout swings back in their favour.

Amdouni steps up and delivers. Two calm steps, a confident finish into the corner, and Switzerland move ahead in the shootout.

Colombia are under pressure now.

Colombia blink first! Davinson Sánchez steps up and sends his penalty straight at the bar, with Kobel diving the wrong way to the right.

A huge opening for Switzerland in the shootout.

Xhaka keeps Switzerland alive, but it’s far from comfortable! The captain’s penalty has power, but Vargas gets a hand to it and can only push it into the top corner.

All square after the first round of penalties.

Colombia strike first in the shootout! Quintero steps up and shows no hesitation, smashing his penalty straight down the middle.

The pressure is immediately on Switzerland now.

The nerves are kicking in at BC Place. Xhaka and Sánchez step forward for the coin toss, and it’s Colombia who win it, they’ll take the first penalty.

The shootout is ready. One of these teams is moments away from heartbreak.

120 minutes couldn’t separate Switzerland and Colombia. After a tense, physical battle with chances at both ends, it’s going to the shootout.

One kick can decide it now at BC Place.

Colombia make a late change with penalties almost here. Jhon Lucumí’s night is over as Yerry Mina comes on, and the defender knows all about dramatic World Cup moments.

Mina’s last-minute equaliser against England in 2018 is still fresh in the memory. Can he produce another big moment when Colombia need it most?

Colombia are the side trying to force something now. They’re still looking for that one opening, while Switzerland seem increasingly comfortable taking this to a shootout.

The tension is rising inside BC Place, with the Colombian fans getting more nervous by the minute. It’s been a bruising, scrappy battle too, 40 fouls and counting in a proper extra-time war.

The second half of extra time has slowed right down. Both teams look terrified of making the mistake that sends them home, with attacks breaking down before they can really develop.

The shootout is looming, and neither Switzerland nor Colombia are taking any chances.

hat’s the end of the first period of extra time. Colombia get one last chance from a corner after Díaz’s effort takes a deflection, but Switzerland deal with it comfortably.

Still no breakthrough, 15 more minutes left before penalties become a possibility.

What an introduction that would have been! Just 10 seconds after stepping onto the pitch, Amdouni finds himself inside the box and fires towards goal, only for Vargas to pull off the save.

The flag goes up for offsidem but Switzerland aren’t convinced, and replays might have them wondering if they got a bit unlucky there. A huge moment in extra time.

Colombia are growing in confidence now. Campaz tries his luck from distance with a dipping strike that forces Kobel into action, the Swiss goalkeeper tipping it away for a corner.

The pressure is building from Colombia, but Switzerland survive the latest scare and win a free-kick from the resulting set-piece.

Colombia come inches away from breaking the deadlock! Lucumí rises above everyone from the corner and powers a header towards goal, but the crossbar comes to Switzerland’s rescue.

That was the big chance of extra time so far, Colombia are knocking on the door.

Itten gets in behind and looks ready to race onto the ball, but Davinson Sánchez brings him down and stops the attack.

The Colombian defender goes into the book, and the frustration continues on the touchline as Néstor Lorenzo also picks up a yellow for his protests.

Extra time is getting heated now.

A dramatic start to extra time as Colombia pile pressure on from a Quintero free-kick. The delivery causes chaos in the box, with Sánchez eventually blazing over.

But all eyes were on the other end of the move, Campaz goes down after a challenge from Muheim, and Colombia want a penalty.

VAR takes a quick look, but the decision stands: no spot-kick. That one definitely had people talking.

90 minutes can’t separate Switzerland and Colombia, we’re heading into another 30 minutes of football.

If neither side can find a winner in extra time, it goes all the way to penalties. Argentina are waiting for whoever survives this tense battle.

Switzerland finally find a bit of life in the dying moments. Ndoye does brilliantly to get past his marker and fires a dangerous low ball across the face of goal, but Itten just can’t stretch enough to make the connection.

That might have been the moment for the Swiss.

Ndoye’s night is over straight after that as he makes way for Rubén Vargas.

Now it’s Switzerland’s turn to scream for a penalty. Rieder goes down while trying to steal the ball inside the Colombia box, but the referee waves it away.

No spot-kick there either, and we’re heading into five added minutes with both sides throwing themselves into every challenge.

A big shout from Colombia as Campaz goes down inside the box looking for a penalty.

There is a bit of contact from Ndoye, but it’s nowhere near enough to convince the referee. The Colombian forward is furious, but Switzerland escape.

Colombia are going for a late push with another double change. Luis Suárez’s afternoon comes to an end as Cucho Hernández takes over up front, while Jefferson Lerma is replaced by Richard Ríos in midfield.

Néstor Lorenzo is looking for fresh energy as this one enters the final stages.

Switzerland win the ball back high up the pitch and suddenly have numbers around the Colombia box.

The move looks promising, but Sow’s final delivery lets them down as his cross sails over everyone. A big chance to build pressure goes begging.

This has turned into a proper end-to-end scrap, but neither side is really committing enough bodies forward when the chance opens up.

The midfielders are staying cautious, the final pass is missing, and both teams are waiting for someone else to take the risk. It’s frantic rather than controlled now, the game is there for someone to grab.

Both Embolo and Vargas are back on their feet after that collision, with the pair sharing a sporting handshake.

Then Colombia almost catch Switzerland out. The flag goes up for offside, but the move itself will have caught the Swiss attention, a slick attack down the right sees them get in behind, with substitute Muheim immediately tested at left-back.

A scary moment in the Colombia box as Vargas comes flying out to punch a cross clear and absolutely catches Embolo in the process.

The goalkeeper gets the ball and it’s a clean punch, but the contact is heavy. Both players are down and getting attention from the physios.

Just as Colombia were starting to build some momentum, the drinks break arrives and slows everything down.

The players get a breather, and the fans get a bit of Bon Jovi blasting around the stadium. A strange little pause in what was becoming a lively spell for the Colombians.

You can feel Colombia starting to grow into this one. The pressure is building and even Elvedi is feeling the intensity, going down after Díaz catches him in the face.

A big moment from the bench too, James Rodríguez’s night is over as Juan Quintero comes on, with Jhon Arias also making way for Jaminton Campaz. Colombia looking for a spark.

A huge chance for Colombia! Suárez nicks the ball away after Xhaka wants a foul, but with the goal in sight he drags his effort well wide.

Switzerland survive a massive scare there, Suárez will know he should have done much better.

Díaz tries to get things moving, looking for Suárez with a clever outside-of-the-boot pass, but the chance doesn’t quite come off. The ball comes back to him, though, and the follow-up effort is tame straight at Kobel.

The Colombian winger is trying to lift his team and the crowd, throwing his arms up after the move breaks down.

A frustrating few moments for Colombia, with Suárez then going into the book for pulling back Kobel as the goalkeeper tried to restart play.

Switzerland have come out flying after the break. The passing is sharper, the pressure is higher, and Colombia are being pushed back into their own half.

Zakaria wins another battle with Díaz down the left as the Swiss continue to win the key duels.

There’s a different kind of noise around BC Place too, Gianni Infantino appears on the big screen and the crowd responds with a loud chorus of boos. The fans have made their feelings very clear.

Switzerland win a free-kick in a dangerous position and Rieder steps up. The midfielder whips a brilliant left-footed effort over the wall, with Vargas beaten, but it flies just wide into the side netting.

That was a warning for Colombia. The Swiss are starting to find more joy after the break.

A crunching 50-50 between Muñoz and Xhaka goes Colombia’s way, and after the attack fades out, the referee comes back to show the Swiss captain a yellow card.

A bit of frustration for Xhaka, that one was always going to get punished.

A really competitive opening 45 minutes in Vancouver. Colombia started brighter and looked dangerous when they attacked through the wide areas, with Gustavo Puerta coming closest after curling an effort towards the top corner that forced Gregor Kobel into a brilliant full-stretch save.

Switzerland grew into the game after the early pressure and began finding more space in midfield. Their best opening came late in the half when Fabian Rieder got inside the box, but Camilo Vargas stood tall to make the save.

Both teams have had their moments, with the goalkeepers keeping this one level so far.

Half-time stats:

Score: Switzerland 0-0 Colombia

Possession: Switzerland 49%-51% Colombia

Shots (on target): Switzerland 4 (1) - 6 (2) Colombia

Corners: Switzerland 2-3 Colombia

Fouls: Switzerland 6-5 Colombia

Yellow cards: Switzerland 0-0 Colombia

That’s the break in Vancouver and neither side has been able to find the breakthrough.

Both teams have had their moments, Puerta tested Kobel with a brilliant effort, while Vargas has been called into action twice to keep Switzerland out.

Switzerland win a free-kick in a dangerous position but fail to take advantage, sending it short instead of putting it into the box with their defenders up.

A frustrating moment for the Swiss as the ball eventually runs out for a throw. Mojica goes down after the play but looks fine. Three minutes were added on.

Díaz drives inside and feeds Muñoz on the right, with the low cross causing problems in the box. Suárez cleverly lets it run after hearing Díaz behind him, but Freuler gets across just in time to clear for a corner.

Switzerland try to break quickly, but Mojica races back to stop the counter.

Díaz tries the spectacular inside the box, shaping for a bicycle kick before pulling out at the last moment to avoid giving away a foul.

It comes after Suárez sees a powerful effort blocked, with the whole move ending in a VAR check that overturns the corner decision. Things are heating up in Vancouver.

The game has completely flipped. Xhaka is starting to run things in midfield and sends Ndoye through, with Vargas getting down quickly to keep out a low effort.

Colombia respond straight away as Díaz looks for an opening at the other end, but his shot is blocked. This one has opened up.

Colombia had been controlling things, but Switzerland have found a way back into the game. Rieder finds space after Akanji’s pass and gets a low effort away inside the box, forcing Camilo Vargas into a sharp save.

The hydration break seems to have done Switzerland some good, Colombia’s momentum has been slowed and the Swiss are starting to threaten.

The crowd was already loud, and now they’ve got the Macarena going around the arena too. A proper atmosphere in Vancouver.

Anyway, the players are back out and we’re underway again after the hydration break.

Colombia win it back in midfield and suddenly they’re flying forward. A slick one-touch move opens up space for Gustavo Puerta, who wraps his foot around a strike from the edge of the box.

The Swiss keeper is equal to it though, tipping the effort around the post. A really sharp move from Colombia.