Vancouver, June 24 (Reuters Sports Service) - Canada needed just one point to stay in Vancouver and reach the knockout stage of the World Cup, but they lost 2-1 and received a football lesson at the hands of Switzerland, who snatched the top spot in Group B.

After a draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina and a crushing 6-0 win over Qatar, the thousands of fans who flocked to PC Place Stadium thought that Jesse Marsh's Canada team was on the verge of achieving a great feat, but Switzerland's determination and cunning in the second half showed the huge gap between the two teams.

Switzerland will now play its next match in Vancouver, while Canada will travel to Los Angeles, away from the passionate fans who supported them during the first round of the tournament.

Canada defender Alistair Johnston said, "We would have loved to stay in Vancouver, of course, but look - we'll just need as many of these fans as possible to travel with us to Los Angeles, and hopefully they'll bring the same atmosphere there," adding that he was still proud of the team.

However, against a team ranked 17th in the world, Canada, ranked 30th globally, lacked the power and precision needed to threaten Switzerland, losing control of the ball too easily and their shots were weak on the few occasions when they had the opportunity to shoot on goal.

The co-host country had performed well in the first two matches, but Qatar is ranked 56th globally, eight places ahead of Bosnia, and Switzerland presented a completely different set of challenges.

While the Qataris struggled to keep possession for long periods, the Swiss appeared relaxed, moving the ball from side to side and patiently searching for gaps that led to their two goals.

Led by captain Granit Xhaka, the Swiss team also displayed physical strength that made the Canadians look over their shoulders, aware that the Swiss would make strong tackles if they were slow to gain possession of the ball.

Weak efforts

Canadian striker Kyle Larraín, who has already scored two goals in the tournament, seemed to slow down when the ball was at his feet, and fired a few shots that did not trouble goalkeeper Gregor Koppel much, who only conceded a goal from the first touch of substitute Promes David.

In his frantic pursuit of a draw that would have given him first place, Marsh decided not to risk including Alphonso Davies after his return from injury.

This decision led Canada to send random long passes into the penalty area in stoppage time, hoping to score from one of them, but the Swiss dealt with them relatively easily.

Johnston said, "I think we caused them a lot of problems - but ultimately, they achieved the desired result, they will top the group, and we have to live with that."

"But we've reached the knockout stage, and we have to accept that."