Late shock for the Swiss in the Californian sun, Qatar wins first point at the World Cup

For a long time, it was thought that the first World Cup match in Santa Clara, near San Francisco, at exactly noon under the bright Californian sun, would quickly fade into oblivion.

The favored Swiss started early against Qatar, missed several good opportunities to score and decide the match, but they continued to control the events on the field, it seemed that they could play for two more days without their victory being jeopardized.

And then, in the fifth minute of added time, something happened that will make the match at the "Levis" stadium memorable. One of the rare Qatari trips into the Swiss penalty area, in the fifth minute of added time - and - the equalizer.

The first sensation was born at the 23rd World Cup, Switzerland - Qatar 1:1.

Judging by the events on the field, as well as the announcements, it is a sensation, but it doesn't have to be seen that way - perhaps it's not surprising when the two-time consecutive Asian champion wins a point against the eighth or ninth-ranked European team.

However, the team led by Djule Lopetegui from the bench won its first point at the World Cup in its second World Cup appearance, and this is a big day for Qatari football.

Murat Yakin's team, on the other hand, is waiting for the matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada to recover from the initial shock. If they are more careful in the upcoming matches, they may not lose much due to the initial drop in concentration in California.

About the events on the ground, just briefly.

The Qataris had their first big chance, but then they stopped. Switzerland took the lead in the 17th minute when Breel Embolo calmly converted a penalty, but then paid the price for their missed opportunities as - despite 26 attempts on goal and complete control of the game from the very beginning - they failed to score any more goals.

From being in complete control, the game spiraled out of control - deep into stoppage time, captain Boualem Kouki headed the ball into the net after a cross from Homam Ahmed, to chaotic celebrations from the Qatari fans in the stadium.

In the next Group B matches, Qatar will play against one of the hosts, Canada, in Vancouver, while Switzerland will meet Bosnia at the Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday.