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By Tyler Erzberger
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Group B is done with at the World Cup, and it looks like three teams will be exiting the quartet into the Round of 32.
Switzerland is one of those teams, and not just as a passenger: They're leaving Group B as the victors, toppling the hosts Canada on the final match day to steal their path in the knockout rounds.
Was it luck, or are the Swiss a legitimate dark horse for the rest of the tournament?
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Let's grade.
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Expectation
Per usual with Switzerland, I had them as a team in the "dark horse" tier, where they were a team with the makeup to not only make the Round of 32 but have a good shot at the Round of 16. A lot of my love for the team came from their young dynamo attacker Johan Manzambi, and if the generally calm, collected Swiss would unleash their exciting talent on the world.
It was never a question on whether they would make it to the knockouts, but if they could beat Canada on the final day to conquer the group.
Reality
The first game against Qatar was deplorable from the Swiss. I hated watching almost every second of that game. They scored an early goal and then fell asleep for the rest of the match until Qatar stole an equalizer late.
Luckily, though, they started to lean on Manzambi in their final two games, and the youngster had back-to-back breakout games. He scored a brace against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Los Angeles before opening up the scoring against Canada on Wednesday with a magnificent assist.
Without Manzambi, this team might be one of the more boring teams in the competition. With him, though, he transforms this team into something Switzerland haven't had in a long time: a legitimate superstar talent that can break open the mediocrity of a game.
Even with the game against Qatar in question, I'll give Switzerland the highest grade of Group B.
Final Grade: A-
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