Suddenly a penalty hero: Gregor Kobel becomes Swiss World Cup hero | OneFootball

Gregor Kobel (28) is not one of the typical penalty-saving specialists. But in Tuesday’s (July 7) Round of 16 clash against Colombia, he played a major part in Switzerland’s progress. For the first time since 1954, the Swiss are now through to the last eight of a World Cup.

There is no doubt about Kobel’s quality. In kicker’s rankings, the goalkeeper regularly occupies top spot. Between 2022 and 2024, the specialist magazine named the Borussia Dortmund keeper the number one in Germany. In the winter rankings for 2025/26, the Zurich-born shot-stopper reclaimed first place.

But saving penalties is generally not considered one of Kobel’s core strengths. In his five seasons with BVB, he has saved only four spot-kicks in regular time. Most recently, he denied Milan’s Olivier Giroud (39) from the spot in the Champions League in November 2023 after a handball decision. By contrast, the goalkeeper has conceded 23 penalties. In international football, Kobel came out on top against Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrovic (31) in a Nations League match in November 2024.

“A huge moment”

But all of that became irrelevant after the dramatic World Cup progress. During the 120 minutes in Vancouver, the Dortmund keeper repeatedly showed his class, for example after 21 minutes with a save from a curling effort by Gustavo Puerta (22), or against a dangerous swerving shot from Jhon Lucumí (28) in extra time.

Since neither team could find a goal, the decision had to be made from the spot. Kobel was unlucky with Jaminton Campaz’s (26) penalty, as the ball slipped underneath his body. But when Cucho Hernández (27) stepped up, the Swiss goalkeeper showed all his quality. He produced a smart dive to his right to parry away a hard, waist-high shot. With Cedric Itten (29) and Rubén Vargas (27) keeping their nerve, the Swiss beat Colombia.

Photo: Getty Images

“It was a huge moment for me,” Kobel later said in an interview with Blick. “Seeing the guys, how they kept pushing each other. The emotions that came out. It’s unique.” The BVB keeper had no doubts. “I had great confidence in the penalty shootout the whole time,” the 28-year-old stressed. “The guys can take penalties. And I know my abilities too.”

For Kobel, Switzerland’s place in the quarter-finals is also a personal triumph. “To reach a World Cup quarter-final in my very first tournament is amazing,” the goalkeeper said with delight. Now Argentina await in the last eight (July 12, 3:00 a.m. CEST).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.