Drama in San Francisco: Qatar snatches a point from Switzerland in the 95th minute

(Patria) - The national football teams of Switzerland and Qatar drew 1:1 tonight at Levi's Stadium in San Francisco, providing the first major surprise of the 2026 World Cup.

That the Swiss were not in for an easy task was clear as early as the second minute when Edmilson Junior capitalized on a defensive error, went one-on-one with Gregor Kobel, but the Swiss goalkeeper made an excellent save.

Switzerland responded four minutes later through Dan Ndoye, but his attempt was stopped by Meshaal Abunada. The same player had another chance in the 10th minute but shot high over the goal.

In the 14th minute, Switzerland took the lead from a penalty. The penalty was awarded following an action preceded by a controversial situation and a possible offside by Remo Freuler. After a VAR check, the referee did not change the decision, and Breel Embolo confidently converted the spot kick for a 1:0 lead.

Until the end of the first half, the Swiss had several more chances, with Abunada particularly standing out by stopping attempts from Denis Zakaria and Michel Aebischer. On the other side, Edmilson Junior threatened again, but Kobel once again saved his team.

The second half brought less excitement. Swiss captain Granit Xhaka tried twice from distance but was not accurate.

As the match neared its end, the Swiss missed several opportunities to seal the win. Vargas shot in the 75th minute, but Abunada saved his effort, while a minute later Embolo missed the goal from a promising position.

The punishment for missed chances came deep into stoppage time. In the 95th minute, Ahmed scored for a big celebration from Qatar and the final 1:1.

In the next round, Switzerland will play against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 18 in Los Angeles, while Qatar will face Canada a day later.

After the first round of Group B, all four teams have one point each.