Switzerland keeps its 60-year World Cup streak alive even with a draw against Qatar.
Switzerland earned a 1-1 draw in their first World Cup match against Qatar, keeping a 60-year record alive. The Swiss controlled the game and probably expected to win, but Qatar surprised everyone by scoring a late goal in stoppage time to take a point.
Swiss fans might feel a bit disappointed because they had a chance to take the lead in their group after Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina also drew. Instead, all four teams in the group now have one point each, making it very open who will move on to the knockout stage.
Switzerland’s goal came from a penalty, with Breel Embolo cleverly sending the keeper the wrong way in the 17th minute. Qatar’s equalizer came at the very end through Boualem Khoukhi. Switzerland still have matches to play against Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they’ll be hoping to climb to the top of the group.
The last time Switzerland finished top of a World Cup group was in 2006, when they didn’t concede any goals and scored four. On a positive note, the Swiss have now gone a long time without losing their opening World Cup game—their last loss was back in 1966 against West Germany. Since then, they’ve won three and drawn four in their first matches.
There’s hope among the team and fans that Switzerland can get past the second round for the first time since 1954, when they reached the quarterfinals on home soil. That’s a big goal for this year’s team.
On the other hand, Qatar made history by earning their first point in this tournament, after losing all three games in the 2022 World Cup they hosted.