The left side became Algeria’s primary attacking platform. Chaibi, Aouar and the advancing Aït-Nouri repeatedly combined to create numerical overloads against Switzerland’s right side.
Rather than holding fixed positions, Chaibi drifted between the left half-space and deeper support zones, Aouar operated between the lines while Aït-Nouri aggressively overlapped to provide width.
With Maza dropping away from the centre-backs as a false nine, Algeria intentionally sacrificed a permanent penalty-box presence to overload midfield and sustain possession. Their combinations consistently progressed play into advanced areas, but they lacked one crucial element: vertical depth.
Too many Algerian attacks remained in front of Switzerland’s defensive line.
While the rotations successfully destabilised Switzerland’s midfield shape, there were relatively few penetrating runs beyond the last line to stretch Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi.
Most forward passes were played into feet rather than into space, allowing Switzerland’s back four to remain compact despite Algeria’s territorial dominance. This inability to consistently threaten the space behind ultimately reduced the effectiveness of otherwise sophisticated possession sequences.
Switzerland, meanwhile, accepted long periods without the ball but looked considerably more dangerous whenever possession changed hands.
Their compact 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 defensive structures denied central access before springing quickly into transition.
The opening goal perfectly illustrated this strategy. Algeria had committed Belghali high into the attacking phase, leaving significant space behind the advancing right-back.
Once possession was regained, Switzerland immediately attacked that exposed channel. Johan Manzambi drove into the vacated space, accelerated past Aïssa Mandi towards the byline and delivered an accurate cross for Embolo to finish.
It was Switzerland’s first meaningful attack, but one entirely consistent with their tactical plan of exploiting Algeria’s aggressive full-back positioning.
That vulnerability originated from Algeria’s attacking rest-defence. Belghali was encouraged to advance aggressively because Zerrouki intelligently slid into the right-back position during attacking phases to provide balance.
While this rotation maintained numerical security during settled possession, it could not fully compensate once Switzerland broke beyond Algeria’s first line of pressure. The distances became too large, allowing direct transitions into the channels before Algeria could reorganise their defensive structure.
Out of possession Algeria defended in a compact 4-4-2 mid-block that generally prevented Switzerland from constructing sustained attacks.
However, the same aggressive positioning that made them so effective with the ball occasionally left gaps between their midfield and defensive lines whenever Switzerland escaped the initial pressure.
Those moments became increasingly significant because Switzerland possessed direct runners in both wide areas. Ndoye and Vargas consistently attacked defenders one-versus-one rather than recycling possession, forcing Algeria’s full-backs into uncomfortable defensive situations immediately after transitions.