#我的Gate交易时刻 World Cup Drama: A Last-Gasp Equalizer in Injury Time, Asian Champions Make History, Players Celebrate in Wild Excitement

The first round of the World Cup group stage gets underway, with Qatar taking on Switzerland. Qatar previously won the Asian Championship in 2019 and 2023. In the fourth stage of the World Cup qualifiers, Qatar finished with 1 win and 1 draw, topping the group and edging past the UAE and Oman to qualify for the World Cup.
At the World Cup, Qatar is drawn in the same group as Switzerland, Canada, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This time, Qatar faces the world’s 19th-ranked Switzerland. As a result, Qatar, who were on the back foot, pulled off a miracle—an edge-of-your-seat equalizer in stoppage time—earning their first point of the World Cup and making history!
In this match, Qatar lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Youssef Abdurisag led the line up front. Júnior, Asim Madibo, and Afif teamed up in attack. Jabil and Isa Raye formed a double defensive midfield pairing. Ayoub V, Pedro Miguel, Boualem Houshi, and Ahmed started as the back four. Mohammed Abunada started in goal. Qatar’s total market value for their starting lineup was only €12.75 million. Switzerland’s starting lineup, meanwhile, was valued at as much as €165 million.
Not long after the game began, Akanji made an elementary mistake, giving the opponent a one-on-one chance. Fortunately, Kobel came to the rescue and dealt with the threat. In the 13th minute, Froehler created a penalty opportunity. Embolo stepped up and calmly converted, helping Switzerland take the lead. In the 42nd minute, Zakaria committed a foul and was shown a yellow card. Soon after, Ebecher squandered a chance with the goal at his mercy. At halftime, Qatar were 0-1 down. The second half resumed with a change of ends. In the 48th minute, Zakaria tried a long-range effort from outside the box, but it went over the bar. In the 60th minute, Qatar made three substitutions, with Fathi, Boudiaf, and Aladdin coming on. In the 72nd minute, Boudiaf tried a long shot, but it went wide. Then Vargas’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper. Embolo also wasted a one-on-one opportunity. Switzerland, which had repeatedly missed good chances, was punished in injury time. Houshi stepped up in stoppage time, headed the ball in to complete the equalizer, rescuing Qatar. The Qatar players were overjoyed and celebrated wildly. In the end, Qatar drew 1-1 with Switzerland. Qatar had only 32% possession; they had 7 shots, with 4 on target, and scored 1 goal. Switzerland fired off 26 shots in total, 7 on target, but also finished with only 1 goal.
Getting a draw in such a passive situation is no easy feat for Qatar. This was Qatar’s first ever World Cup point in their history; in the previous World Cup, Qatar lost all three matches. Next, Qatar will face Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina one after another—will they be able to secure a win? Stay tuned!