Switzerland concede late equaliser to draw 1-1 with Qatar in World Cup opener
A 94th-minute goal denied Switzerland victory in their World Cup opener, as Qatar forced a 1-1 draw after the Swiss had dominated chances.
Dominance without reward
Switzerland controlled the ball for almost 70 percent of the match and fired 26 shots, but only a single goal separated the sides going into added time. In the first half Murat Yakin’s team pressed high and created a series of clear openings, enough, in the view of defender Manuel Akanji, to have been three or four goals ahead at the break. The rhythm was fast, the passing crisp, and the 1-0 lead felt fragile only because of the number of missed chances.
A late sucker punch
After the pause the Swiss lost precision. Passes became slower, technical errors multiplied, and Qatar began to find gaps on the counter. Deep into stoppage time the underdogs launched one final attack and, with the last action of the game, scored a superb header past goalkeeper Kobel. Switzerland’s back line, which had looked largely untroubled, was caught out at the decisive moment.
We were too inefficient with the chances we created and in the end were not rewarded for our effort. That’s football: if you don’t take them, you concede them.
Captain’s call for discipline
Granit Xhaka did not hide his frustration. The captain said the team lost rhythm and patience in the second half, and he singled out unnamed players for trying to be the “showmaker” instead of sticking to the coach’s plan. Winning a World Cup match, he stressed, required every player to respect their position.
You have to respect your position and simply do what the coach asks, not play the showmaker. That’s about discipline. If you don’t have that, it gets difficult.
Focus turns to the next matches
Despite the bitter draw, the squad refused to write off the tournament. Kobel noted that perhaps it was better to suffer such a setback in the opening game, with two group matches still to play and everything in their own hands. Akanji echoed the need to learn from the wasted chances, while Xhaka described the result as a reality check that would force the team to keep their feet on the ground.
We can’t create more chances than that. We had so many really good ones. In a World Cup, if you give the opponent 94 minutes to come back, this happens. We are to blame ourselves.
