Switzerland defeated Algeria 2-0 at BC Place on Thursday, keeping the European team's World Cup dreams alive and knocking the North African team out of the tournament.
The victory means the Swiss team will play its third consecutive match in Vancouver on Tuesday, which will also mark the final game hosted by the city.
B.C. native Hans Schranz said he has attended every World Cup match the Switzerland team have played in the tournament so far.
He said his parents immigrated from Switzerland, so it was meaningful for him to be able to watch his team play twice in his home province.
"The fact that we can experience the World Cup is a dream come true for me as a Canadian, so I'm really happy," Schranz said, calling Thursday's victory "unreal."
He said he's hoping to attend Tuesday's match but has "mixed feelings" about Vancouver's hosting run coming to an end.
"It is sad that Vancouver is kind of at the close of their portion of the World Cup, but you know what, just the opportunity to have so many games here in Vancouver — I'm really proud of how Vancouver did in hosting."
Algerian fans were the loudest ahead of the game, hitting 133 decibels before the 8 p.m. kickoff, according to the big screen, while Swiss fans hit 124 decibels.
But the North African fans seemed to grow quieter as the game progressed and as they conceded two goals.
Algerian native Adlane Benoudina said it was his first World Cup match as he left the stadium "heartbroken."
"It's a very good experience, but we got eliminated, so we are going back home sad," he said.
Benoudina, who now lives in Montreal, said he's now turning his support toward the Canadian team, which plays Morocco on Saturday.
"Let's hope they win," he said.
Switzerland, which beat the Canadian team 2-1 in Vancouver during the group stage on June 24, will take on the winner of Friday's match between Colombia and Ghana in the round of 16 at BC Place next week.
Vancouverite Tim Tewsley also expressed having dual fandom. Though he was cheering for Switzerland on Thursday, noting his wife is Swiss, he said his support for the European team comes second to Canada.
"I would have rather Canada won," he said, referring to the June 24 game. "But it's a great trash-talking with my wife's family back in Switzerland. It's kind of a fun rivalry."
Had Canada won or secured a draw against the Swiss to win the group, they would have stayed at BC Place for the round-of-32 match. Instead, they played — and defeated — South Africa in Los Angeles last week.
Thursday's game drew a sold-out crowd of 52,497 spectators, including Vancouver local Ivan Tsang.
Though Tsang says he was initially also hoping to see Canada play, he said he was happy to just be in the stadium.
"When else are you going to experience a World Cup in Vancouver? It's probably once-in-a-lifetime, so why not?"
Tsang, who was supporting the Algerian team on Thursday, said the tournament has seemingly sped by.
"I feel like it's gone so fast," he said. "It's been like a blink of an eye."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Timothy Matwey
