By Ian Ransom
Qatar celebrated their first World Cup point after a late own goal forced a 1-1 draw against Switzerland and sent the Gulf nation into jubilation on Saturday.
Qatar captain Boualem Khoukhi and Miro Muheim leaped for Homam Ahmed’s cross after 94 minutes, with Khoukhi’s header deflecting off the Swiss marker to cancel out a first-half Breel Embolo penalty.
The late blow left Switzerland stunned and rueful after they failed to close out the match despite 26 goal attempts to Qatar’s seven.
The result left Group B wide open, with all teams locked on a point each following co-hosts Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Qatar will be easily the most pleased among them, four years after their 2022 debut fell flat with a winless elimination on home soil.
The entire Qatar squad stormed on to the pitch in ecstasy after the equaliser, giving Spaniard Julen Lopetegui a landmark result coaching his first World Cup match.
“We achieved one dream when we arrived here, to be here, and now today is another little dream,” Lopetegui told reporters. “And we have the right to continue having the dream.”
Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada was also naturally thrilled, having fouled Remo Freuler to hand the Swiss their 17th-minute penalty.
“This is the first point in the history of the Qatari national team. Praise be to God in all circumstances,” said Abunada.
“Honestly, the match was played with great determination from everyone. Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.”
Switzerland may feel the footballing gods deserted them, though, having seen chance after chance go begging, with Dan Ndoye particularly wasteful in the first half.
It was all set up for the group favourites, though, when Abunada smashed into Freuler in the six-yard box.
Freuler ran onto a header by Embolo in the area, dinked the ball goalwards past Abunada and was met heavily by the stopper who came off second best in the clash.
Referee Said Martinez pointed straight at the spot but it took a long VAR check to confirm the penalty while a prone Abunada — booked for the challenge — was attended to by medical staff.
While Michel Aebischer racked up a sixth Swiss shot on goal, stopped on the line deep into first-half stoppage time, Qatar’s attackers were left with scraps.
QATAR DANGERMAN
The Asian champions’ dangerman Akram Afif was well-shackled but found space down the flank late in the half to set up Edmilson for a one-time shot saved by Kobel.
With Qatar camped in rows in front of goal, the match meandered in the second half and a raft of substitutions on both sides of the drinks interval did nothing to break the stasis.
That was until Ahmed’s sumptuous cross to Khoukhi snatched the draw, leaving clumps of thobe-wearing Qataris jumping in the stands.
Switzerland may still fancy their chances of getting out of the group but the road ahead is rockier and their inability to seal the win will be a concern for coach Murat Yakin.
“We had an idea and we wanted to be very dominant, very attacking,” Yakin told reporters.
“We created very good chances, but unfortunately we weren’t always efficient. Maybe we weren’t smart enough, not precise enough in the end.”
They face Bosnia & Herzegovina at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday, while Qatar, who defended doggedly to thwart the classy Swiss, head north to meet co-hosts Canada in Vancouver on the same day.
Despite the official attendance of 67,966, there were banks of empty seats at the 70,000-seat home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers even if the crowd reached to the highest stands.
Red-clad Swiss were out in force as the team’s captain Granit Xhaka and veteran full back Ricardo Rodriguez moved past Xherdan Shaqiri in their record 13th World Cup appearance for the nation, with only the late goal spoiling their milestone match.
Additional reporting by Martin Petty in Santa Clara, Mohamed Yossry in Cairo, Rory Carroll and Hatem Maher in Los Angeles; editing by Ed Osmond
Source: reuters.com