History is in danger of repeating for one of Leeds United’s World Cup representatives after another snub, but his manager’s decisions paid off handsomely on Thursday night.

Noah Okafor is yet to play a minute of World Cup football for Switzerland, who took control in Group B with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday night.

The Leeds attacker was left on the bench for the second successive tournament game, but manager Murat Yakin’s decisions could not be argued at full-time of the 4-1 victory. A game that lacked real quality in the final third for a long time exploded to life in the final 20 minutes thanks to Yakin’s intervention from the touchline. His triple substitution paid dividends within three minutes.

Sub Johan Manzambi scorched a first-time volley into the net for a 74th-minute opener, before Tarik Muharemovic was shown a straight red card for taking out the clean through Breel Embolo. Another substitute, Ruben Vargas,doubled Switzerland's lead and then set up Manzambi to get the third. Granit Xhaka scored from the spot to complete the rout, before Ermin Mahmic thundered in a stoppage-time consolation on the volley.

For Okafor the 2026 World Cup has so far mirrored his experience of the Euro 2024 campaign when he was an unused substitute throughout as Switzerland made it to the quarter-finals. But with Switzerland in such a strong position with one group stage game remaining, Yakin may look to rest players and use his squad more fully against Canada next Wednesday.

Okafor ended the season prematurely with a calf complaint but was in red-hot form in the final stages of his debut Premier League campaign. The winger fired in eight goals in the English top flight, including a stunning brace against Manchester United at Old Trafford as Leeds ended their decades-long wait for a win at the home of their bitter rivals.