Switzerland boss Murat Yakin revealed the reason he waited until the hydration break to make substitutions against Bosnia-Herzegovina was to have an advantage over their opponents.
Switzerland defeated Bosnia 4-1 on Thursday in their Group B clash, boosting their chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
The first goal of the match came in the 74th minute as Johan Manzambi scored off the bench, before another substitute in Ruben Vargas doubled their lead.
Both players were introduced during the hydration break in the second half, with Manzambi scoring again to help get Switzerland over the line.
Switzerland (three sub goals) v Bosnia (one sub goal) became just the second game in World Cup history to see as many as four goals scored by substitutes after Hungary (four) v El Salvador (one) in 1982 (five).
“It was very important that we had all of our energy on the pitch. This was our strategy,” Yakin told reporters.
“We needed to be very patient and stay in the game. It was important that after the second hydration break we changed some things.
“That was the edge we had. We brought on very quick players. Our opponents ran a lot and this created gaps.
“We could have made the substitutions earlier, but then the opponent would have had the chance to react. That’s why I waited for the hydration break. This was the right decision.”
These 3 points are staying with us! pic.twitter.com/qO8qGdIJeY
— Nati (@nati_sfv_asf) June 18, 2026
Bosnia were reduced to 10 men at 1-0 down, with Tarik Muharemovic shown a red card for a last-man challenge on Breel Embolo.
Muharemovic became the first player to be sent off for Bosnia in a World Cup game and the first player to see red for them in any competition since Renato Gojkovic against Slovakia in a Euros qualifier back in November 2023.
Bosnia have just one point ahead of their final group game against Qatar, and head coach Sergej Barbarez believes now is not the time to mope around.
“I don’t like self-pity and entered the dressing room and told [the players] they have one hour to cheer up, to lift their heads up,” said Barbarez.
“Life moves on and we will not whine now.
“The match, it is hurtful, it is quite painful. But this is my job, and trust me I will make sure they are fine ahead of the next game and remedy what happened. Turns out our last game is our most important one.”
