Qatar 1-1 Switzerland: The First Point of a History

It took until the 90+4th minute, but Qatar finally have their first point at a World Cup. On their debut at World Cup 2026, Julen Lopetegui's men snatched a 1-1 draw against Switzerland thanks to a goal in stoppage time, at the end of a match they had nonetheless largely endured.

Swiss dominance punished at the worst possible moment

The scenario was a nightmare for the Swiss. Switzerland controlled proceedings very early, opening the scoring in the 17th minute when Breel Embolo coolly converted a penalty, after a foul by goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada on Remo Freuler.

Swiss dominance then translated into overwhelming statistics without ever materialising on the scoreboard. Murat Yakin and his men had a firm grip on the first half, with Dan Ndoye proving a threat on several occasions before Embolo's goal, while Michel Aebischer saw a shot cleared off the line just before the break. Qatar had nonetheless had the first chance of the match when Edmilson Junior found himself alone after a slip by Manuel Akanji in the second minute, but the winger placed his effort too close to Gregor Kobel.

The second half was duller, but Switzerland created chance after chance to put the game away: 26 attempts in all, for an expected goals of 3.24 against only 0.76 for Lopetegui's men. An imbalance that illustrates just how much the shared points amount to a Qatari smash-and-grab.

Then came the release. From a cross by Homam Ahmed, the Swiss substitute Miro Muheim, under pressure from Boualem Khoukhi, deflected the ball into his own net in front of Gregor Kobel. Officially, the goal is recorded as an o.g. by Muheim, even though many eyes turned to Khoukhi, who was challenging on the play.

VAR at the centre of the controversy

If the match will be remembered, it is also for a major technological controversy. FIFA confirmed that a technical failure had prevented the normal use of the 3D graphic linked to the semi-automated offside technology during the decision that preceded the Swiss penalty.

FIFA's statement specifies that the problem was quickly resolved and that the VAR process followed the normal verification procedure. The explanation nevertheless did not convince everyone. At half-time, Gary Neville challenged FIFA on ITV, while Ian Wright deemed the situation scandalous.

A goalkeeper at fault, then decisive

In an irony of fate, the man of the match is neither the Swiss scorer nor an attacking key figure, but the Qatari goalkeeper. Despite his early foul for the penalty, Mahmoud Abunada kept Qatar alive thanks to his saves against Vargas and Ndoye. At the final whistle, he collapsed onto the pitch before joining his teammates to celebrate this historic result.

If you don't take your chances up front, they end up coming back to hit you right in the face.
Murat Yakin · Switzerland manager

A Group B completely thrown wide open

The shared points reshuffled the whole deck. The four teams in Group B are now level on one point each, with Canada and Bosnia-Herzegovina having also cancelled each other out. Switzerland will face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday, while the Canadian co-hosts will await Qatar the same day.

For the Swiss, this draw has a bitter taste. For Qatar, on the other hand, this single point will remain etched as a first page of history.