Qatar 1-1 Switzerland: Khoukhi's 94th-Minute Header Earns the 2022 Hosts Their First-Ever World Cup Point
Breel Embolo's early penalty looked to have given Switzerland a comfortable win, but Qatar captain Boualem Khoukhi headed home a dramatic 94th-minute equaliser at Levi's Stadium — securing a first World Cup point in the country's history.
Qatar earned the first point in their World Cup history with a dramatic stoppage-time draw against Switzerland in Group B on Saturday, as captain Boualem Khoukhi's 94th-minute header cancelled out Breel Embolo's first-half penalty at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
For most of the afternoon, it looked like a comfortable Swiss afternoon. A penalty was awarded in the 17th minute after Embolo latched onto Remo Freuler's header inside the box and was brought down by goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada. Embolo stepped up and sent his kick calmly into the upper-left corner — composure personified — and Switzerland proceeded to spend the next hour and more squandering the chances that followed. By the final whistle, the Swiss had amassed 26 shots and an expected-goals value of 3.24, a statistical profile that should have yielded a winning margin, not a point.
Fifteen minutes from time Embolo himself blazed into the side-netting; substitute Johan Manzambi fired narrowly wide; the Swiss carved out opening after opening only to find Abunada or a defender in the way. The longer it went, the louder the unease from the Swiss end of the stadium.
Qatar's equaliser, when it finally arrived, was a lesson in staying alive. In the fourth minute of injury time, left-back Homam Al Amin overlapped down the flank and swung in a deep cross to the back post, where Khoukhi met it with a powerful downward header that gave the goalkeeper no chance. The Qatari bench erupted.
The historical weight was considerable. Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup and made the unenviable record of becoming the first hosts ever to be eliminated in the group stage, losing all three matches without scoring. Saturday's draw in California was the first point the country has ever accumulated at the tournament, and the manner of it — conjured from almost nothing in injury time against a superior side — made it all the more remarkable.
Sources: ESPN — Qatar 1-1 Switzerland: Khoukhi scores late to earn first ever World Cup point · Sky Sports — Qatar 1-1 Switzerland: Embolo penalty cancelled out by late Khoukhi leveller · Al Jazeera — Qatar net late against Switzerland to secure historic first World Cup point · FIFA — Qatar vs Switzerland 1-1, First Stage
