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💥 Qatar at the death, first-ever point in 94': Switzerland denied! 😱
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- 💥 Qatar at the death, first-ever point in 94': Switzerland denied! 😱
💥 Qatar at the death, first-ever point in 94': Switzerland denied! 😱
A bitter draw for Switzerland in their 2026 World Cup opener. At Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, it ended 1-1 against Qatar , with the Swiss pegged back deep into stoppage time after wasting several chances to put the game to bed.
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Yakin's side had taken the lead in the 17th minute thanks to Breel Embolo , who kept his cool from the spot after Bologna midfielder Freuler won the penalty.
Over the course of the match, Switzerland had several chances to double their lead, but time and again they were denied by Qatari goalkeeper Abunada, who came up big against Ndoye and Vargas. In the second half, Manzambi, Embolo and Vargas again all went close, but none could find the knockout blow.
The sucker punch arrived in the 94th minute: Khoukhi grabbed the equaliser that stunned Switzerland and earned Qatar a historic point.
After the 1-1 draw between Canada and Bosnia, Group B remains completely balanced: all four national teams are level on one point after the opening matchday.
💥 Khoukhi STUNS Switzerland in the 94th minute: level in stoppage time
Qatar snatched a historic draw in the 94th minute against Switzerland and earned the first World Cup point in their history.
Just when the Swiss win seemed all but secured, the heartbreak came in stoppage time: a cross from the left and a decisive header from Abdelkarim Khoukhi, who took advantage of Switzerland's overly passive defending and beat the goalkeeper for the final 1-1.
🤯 HISTORIC penalty: Switzerland's 1st ever at the World Cup
As reported by DAZN, the penalty converted by Breel Embolo represents a historic moment for Switzerland.
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The Swiss national team had never previously taken a penalty in the World Cup finals.
This time, Switzerland made the most of the chance, taking the lead thanks to Embolo's conversion.
😱 Abunada, so many saves! Switzerland waste chances in front of an open goal
Abunada keeps Qatar afloat! First he denies Ndoye twice, then he produces another outstanding save on Vargas, who was played in after a brilliant tight passing move with Embolo. The Qatari goalkeeper has been his side's best player.
At the end of the first half, after yet another moment of quality from Embolo, Freuler struck with the goal at his mercy but was denied by a crucial goal-line clearance. A colossal chance wasted.
👑 Embolo never lets Switzerland down
With his penalty goal, the Swiss striker confirmed his extraordinary consistency in major tournaments: he has scored at EURO 2020, the 2022 World Cup, EURO 2024 and now also at the 2026 World Cup.
An achievement that makes him only the second player in Switzerland's history to score in four different major tournaments. Before him, only Xherdan Shaqiri had managed it, finding the net in as many as six international competitions.
🔍 DOUBTS over the penalty: was it offside?
There were some doubts in the Qatar camp over the penalty awarded to Switzerland.
According to the Qatari national team, there was an offside in the build-up to the Swiss penalty.
🤯 Heavy Freuler-Abunada collision: stonewall penalty
MINUTE 13- A nasty, very nasty collision between Qatar goalkeeper Abunada and Remo Freuler led to the penalty for Switzerland and the lead shortly before the quarter-hour mark.
A clever touch from Embolo sent the Bologna player through on goal, and he got to the ball first before being wiped out by Abunada's desperate rush off his line. In the incident, the goalkeeper stayed down for a few seconds after taking a blow to the face from the Swiss player's thigh, but he was eventually able to get back up without consequences.
The referee immediately pointed to the spot for Switzerland, while VAR carried out a quick check to verify a possible offside position by Freuler. After the review, the decision was confirmed: penalty to Switzerland, perfectly converted by Embolo.
🧮 GROUP B STANDINGS
1. Bosnia - 1 point
2. Canada - 1 point
3. Qatar - 1 point
4. Switzerland - 1 point
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
