Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said his team showed patience and used the right substitutions at the right time to narrowly beat Colombia on penalties on Tuesday and reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

In the penalty shootout, the scales tipped in Switzerland's favor when goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saved a spot kick from Cucho Hernandez, after Colombia's Davinson Sanchez had hit the crossbar.

Substitute Ruben Vargas then scored the decisive penalty for Switzerland to beat Colombia 4-3 after a goalless draw at the end of regulation and extra time.

Vargas was one of several substitutions, including striker Cedric Itten coming on a few minutes earlier, and Zeki Amdouni shortly after, which revitalized the Swiss attack after the 87th minute.

Yakin said: 'It was difficult at the start, but we held on and showed a great mentality. Then I brought on the right players at the right moment.'

Vargas, who entered the pitch in second-half stoppage time, kept his composure shortly after to lead his team to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954. His teammate Amdouni had calmly scored a penalty earlier.

Yakin said: 'It was truly amazing to see him (Vargas) take that penalty with such power. I felt huge relief and happiness. This is a historic moment. We have achieved the best ever result for the Swiss national team, but the journey continues.'

Even before the match, Yakin had to improvise after midfielder Johan Manzambi was ruled out due to an injury sustained during training on Monday.

Yakin said substitute Ardon Jashari performed his task perfectly. Yakin said: 'Every small decision was important. Every piece of the puzzle fit together. Johan's absence was a big blow, but we did well as a team. We knew it was a historic match; reaching the round of 16 and having a chance to reach the quarter-finals is not something that happens every day. We are soaking it in and we have to gradually absorb what happened. It was an incredible victory. We had to be very patient, but we put in a great performance today, so I am very happy with my players.'

Vargas, whose team had lost a previous penalty shootout in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 against England, said he felt no nerves. He said: 'I had to believe in myself. I felt great confidence and complete calmness. It was wonderful to be able to score the decisive penalty.'

Switzerland will next face Argentina, who staged a dramatic comeback to beat Egypt (3-2), on Tuesday.