Here’s the two heroes of the hour for Qatar, as we sign off.
The embryonic Golden Boot table takes shape. Emolo failed to add to his total.
Here’s the match report on a match with a surprising denouement, though one Switzerland probably deserved for being so casual. Though perhaps that is harsh on Qatar, who defended like demons and their goalkeeper had a good game. Also: the mystery of the offside that never was for Swiss penalty goal.
The headline on the Swiss newspaper website Blick is “Catastrophe at the start of the World Cup.”
Anyway, well done, Qatar: the greatest moment in the country’s football history? Has to be, even if they have won the last two Asian Cups.
Mike in Vancouver gets in touch: “Stadium looks packed to me. Pity those knocking everything couldn’t leave their negativity at home. Guess they must have been listening to those commercials for American Express Traveller’s Cheques. “Don’t leave home without it.” Reminder: they’re a bit dated, too....”
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Mike Smith gets in touch: “i’m not going to defend Fifa’s pricing, But I’ll point out that I saw the “other”semifinal of Euro 96 in front of 40,000 empty seats at Old Trafford. A quick Google search tells me Portugal versus the Czech Republic drew 26,000 to Villa Park in the quarters, while the dog of the tourney (Bulgaria v Romania, group stage) saw 19,000 at St. James Park. I don’t remember any hand-wringing about the hosts not filling their stadium or Uefa charging too much for tickets.”
Well, I do. And I paid £55 for tickets for the quarter-final at Old Trafford when it usually cost me £16 to go to watch United. Can’t we agree that none of this is good?
Full-time: Qatar 1-1 Switzerland
Brilliant for Qatar, who held their nerve as the Swiss took them too lightly, and the celebrations are loud and raucous. What a header that was from Khoukhi. What a moment.
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90+7 min: Switzerland push for the second goal that’s evaded them all day. It doesn’t come, their desperation to score fails them once more. They had 26 shots on goal.
90+6 min: What a moment, what a cross, and the goal music is excellent, and Homan Ahmed was the supplier.
Goal! Qatar 1-1 Switzerland (Khoukhi, 90+5)
Oh my! A first ever point for Qatar? Khoukhi’s header is brilliant.
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90+2 min: Julen Lopetegui is full of rage on the sideline, asking his team for more. Murat Yakin is looking cooler and taking on water.
90 min: Six minutes added on as Qatar hope for their chance. Reider is slow to read a fine ball passed across goal. That would have killed it off.
89 min: Late changes. Edmilson off, Al Haydos, the Jordan Henderson of Qatar, comes on. The vibes man.
For Switzerland, Freuler and Rodriguez off, Muheim and Jashari on.
87 min: Nice cross to the back post, and when Afif smashes the ball in, a deflection almost takes the ball beyond Kobel who does well to read the flight in the glare of the mid-afternoon sun.
86 min: Manzambi fancies a shot, and has another dig. At least he’s trying to make something happen.
85 min: The stadium announcer delivers the attendance figures, over 67,000. Hmm. Embolo, as if he has his doubts, loses his touch just as he looked to created a decent chance for himself.
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84 min: That Qatar wall continues to frustrate the Swiss. Freuler tries to spark something but the ball is blocked.
82 min: An injection of zest from Manzambi who fires wide.
Kari Tulinius gets in touch: “From what I saw of the 2023 Asian Cup, Qatar were deserving champions. They’ve been a shadow of that side today. They’re as bad as they were in 2022. Despite the stability of the squad for the last decade, it seems like two completely different players put on that Maroon shirt, depending on whether they’re playing for continental or global honours. They’re Asian champions, but global whipping boys.”
81 min: Zeki Amdouni, the Burnley man, and his team need to do far better. They’ve had 22 shots on goal, only one of them convincing.
80 min: Qatari change: Madibo off, Al Manai on.
Swiss change: Vargas off, Amdouni on.
78 min: Qatar come forward again. Their attack is rusty, it has to be said. The chances they have had have been rushed, almost coming as a surprise.
76 min: Bit of confidence in the Qatar ranks? Edmilson and Afif go hunting for scraps, and Alaeedin shoots. That’s blocked and the Swiss go away, Vargas snatching at a chance. The second phase sees Embolo curve across the goal, behind Qatari lines but choose the wrong foot to shoot with.
74 min: Roger Kirkby gets in touch: “So, we’re at Levi’s Stadium built in 2014 with no shade. Ok, they can’t put a roof on it, but the Romans had sails draped over poles 2,000 years ago. How droll is it’s name…field of jeans.”
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73 min: Akanji has to do some defending, as he tackles Afif. Up in the stands is a smiling Gianni Infantino, chilling away.
71 min: Switzerland really want that second goal. This was supposed to be the easy game. They have come up against a well-organised Qatar.
69 min: Andy Wood gets in touch: “Hi John, re your earlier comment and the stadium not being full - the issue is that the tournament is priced like 104 Superbowls. I live 40 minutes from this game but there was no way I was paying those prices for group games in that stadium. I don’t know anyone going to a game tbh.”
The resumption has to wait for Whitney Houston to be turned off. Yes, really.
67 min: Xhaka zips a ball across goal. It’s there to be hit, but nobody does. And here’s a drinks break as soundtracked by Proud Mary, Ike and Tina Turner version.
65 min: xG fans: The Swiss are at 2.32. So below the level. They make two changes: Ndoye and Aebischer off, Manzambi and Rieder.
The stadium announcer pronounced Dan Ndoye as “Darn Ndoye”.
64 min: Alan McWilliam gets in touch: “Maybe given Fifa’s adoption of newspeak (or no speak in the case of the offside) we should rename this WC to World Cup 1984…”
63 min: Vargas is lively, and it takes two challenges to end his run. Another free-kick into that packed area. It will have to be good. It’s not, and Ndoye can’t pick up the loose ball.
61 min: The stadium yet emptier though the concourses as full, as it’s shelter from the heat.
60 min: Qatar wanted to make subs but as it’s a Swiss corner they demure. Once that’s cleared, on come three players: Fathy, Boudiaf, Alaaeldin.
Al Oui, Gaber, Abdurisag go off.
58 min: Qatari subs are imminent. Switzerland pass the ball around with little pressure on the ball. Afif fancies escaping but the key pass is cut out.
56 min: That second Swiss goal is taking its time. Qatar have done well and they may be better suited to lasting out in what appear to be baking conditions.
54 min: Paul Keane gets in touch: “The cynic in me notes that if everyone is talking about questionable offsides and Fifa not being forthcoming with the material used by VAR, it is moving the conversation away from ticket prices, empty seats, and super-sized concourses - that’s a well-worn tactic.
“On the Mexican Wave, I’m sure you’re aware that local Bay Area icon Krazy George Henderson claims credit for first doing it in the late-70’s: He can still be seen at San Jose Earthquakes MLS games, where he regularly plays the role of Number 1 Cheerleader.”
53 min: More corners, which has been a feature of this World Cup. Qatar seem well-drilled in defending them. Lopetegui is a coach not without his talents, despite what Hammers fans might say.
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51 min: Peter Oh gets in touch: “Speaking of the forward-thinking Fifa-backwards talisman, he needs to do more to control the game. In other words he needs to act more like the joystick of the Qatari console.”
Geddit? Atari being local to Santa Clara, Nolan Bushnell and all that.
50 min: It’s all Vargas so far, and he sets up Freuler to boom in a pass for Embolo to spin and shoot wide. Embolo has done a fine, old-fashioned centre-forward’s job, sans goal so far.
49 min: Vargas smashes back in, Akanji the target, and Xhaka sees glory, smashing a side-winder. The keeper saves, and the ref does not see it a corner. This seems to be a problem as this tourney.
48 min: Swiss free-kick, smashed in by Vargas, and headed behind with some element of panic. Vargas’s corner is almost as dangerous. And results in another.
47 min: Mike Wilner gets in touch: “The halftime adverts are on here in the USA. Messi is in most of them. He doesn’t say a word, just dribbles a ball around the product. Beckham is in the rest of the ads. He won’t shut up. Go figure.”
Becks’ on a lot of TV back home, too. Both of them are, in fact.
46 min: Qatar take the kick off, and smash the ball out of play, as is the vogue.
We’re just about back, but here’s Jonathan Wilson on Japan.
The unspoken question for Japan was always: why? Why could South Korea have outstripped them like that? South Korea’s first attempt at a professional league, staged in 1983, had comprised largely sides representing corporations and banks, and was won by Hallelujah, a club run by evangelical Christians. It had only had a truly professional national league from 1996, by which time the glitzy JLeague, with foreign stars such as Gary Lineker, Ramón Díaz and Zico, had been running for three years.
Even Christina Unkel is questioning why Fifa is not showing why the penalty is not offside. She doesn’t seem to think it was onside, and in her polite way, says it’s a “miss” for the governing body. Gary Neville compares the decision to that of a “dictatorship”.
Dan Zilic gets in touch: “German TV referee (Thorsten Kimhöfer) says that they have semi-automated offside in the stadium. He thinks that either didn’t work or the camera angle was too confusing. But he says it looks like clear offside. But he also said the line ref didn’t raise the flag either. Thanks for the fun commentary.”
Hugh Molloy gets in touch: “The irony of the Qatar (population 3m) playing in front of so many empty seats when the actual World Cup in Qatar was played to packed houses across the board.”
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Half-time: Qatar 0-1 Switzerland
The direction of traffic and weight of possession is much as expected, though Qatar’s Edmilson has had two serviceable chances. Switzerland will want more, far more, from the second half.
40+6 min: Embolo does well again, spinning, and drawing away defenders. Aebischer shoots at goal but there’s defenders in the way. That second goal won’t come.
45+5 min: The Swiss have not been too convincing, and concede another corner. It’s cleared but they have been casual.
45+3 min: Neat turn from Embolo, and Vargas forces another fine save.
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45+2 min: Xhaka has been pulling the strings, as expected, if quieter than at Sunderland. Different climate, of course.
45 min: Qatar hoping to go into the break with just a single-goal deficit but six minutes are added on….Ndoye gets a shot in, and hits it well. Too well? Abunada saves. He’s had a decent game barring the penalty.
44 min: This time the Qatari’s creativity with the corner leads to over-complication and the ball being cleared.
43 min: Afif springs into life, and Edmilson Junior seizes on a fine pass, to force a fine save from Kobel.
42 min: A Swiss yellow for Zakaria for a foul on an escaping Yusuf. Zakaria is playing off the right, as an attacking full-back, when he is normally a midfielder.
40 min: The Swiss frustrated in their search for a second, with shooting from a far too narrow angle.
38 min: They’re doing a Mexican wave, so called in the UK because of the 1986 World Cup. Other parts of the world call it a mere “wave”.
36 min: Charles Antaki gets in touch: “It’s just struck me that - possibly for the first time ever on a football field - we have a player whose name, spelt backwards, is the same as the organisation under whose auspices the game is being played. Step forward Afif/Fifa for the award.”
Is there a Aefu playing football? A Lobemnoc?
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35 min: Embolo carves a chance for Ndoye who gets his feet under the ball and blasts into the stands. Another goal is surely coming soon.
34 min: A decent Freuler cross, nodded away, and then Ndoye cuts in to have his cross-shot blocked. The ball keeps coming back to the Swiss team. The estimate of 65% possession seems low.
33 min: Again, the atmosphere is low on energy. And the seats at the bottom of the stand visible from the cameras are in no way full. What happened to 104 Super Bowls?
31 min: Pedro collided with Ahmed, his teammate but will be OK to continue. He leaves the field but not for a minute. Collisions with teammates are OK, by the ever lengthening letter of the law.
29 min: Qatar have a corner. And are delighted. They take their time, and go short, Afif’s ball is decent and causes problems. Qatar’s Pedro has gone down hurt.
27 min: Will that break change things? Qatar go long, their goalie hoofing the ball up to Abdurisag. Afif? Not seen much of him yet.
25 min: Matthias gets in touch: “Genuinely, how is that not offside? I will be using this decision (and the lack of replays) as further evidence of Fifa’s untrustworthiness and corruption next time a decision goes against Canada.”
Our drinks break is accompanied by a drum session that sounds like Santana’s percussion section falling down a hill. Then comes the world’s worst record: House Of Pain.
24 min: Another chance for Switzerland to boom in a set piece. It’s knocked behind and we have a drinks break, as the first quarter ends. Why not change ends?
23 min: Joe Pearson gets in touch: “Even though Alan Parsons is English, the use of “Sirius” is nearly as American as (venture capitalism) apple pie, having been used by the Chicago Bulls as walkup music since the Jordan years.”
21 min: Christina Unkel, ITV’s VAR expert, says the tech came up with the decision. She doesn’t appear to wish to question its fallibility. As she does so, Zakaria has a shot saved. Abunada, by the by, was booked for his foul for the penalty.
19 min: Edmilson Junior is the son of Edmilson, a Brazilian player, though not the the 2002 Brazilian World Cup winner. Qatar are rueing that early chance.
18 min: We’re going to need to see that penalty offside again. Fifa appear reluctant to show it.
Goal! Qatar 0-1 Switzerland (Embolo, 17 pen)
Embolo calmly steers home as the “check over” button is pressed, as is Freed From Desire.
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Penalty to Switzerland
Abunada smashes over Freuler, and the ref blows but there will be a VAR look. There seems to be an offside in the third phase of play. The keeper’s taken a whack. The check takes an age. Stockley Park, take a bow, these lads are taking their time.
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13 min: It’s all Switzerland, who are switching positions all over the place.
12 min: Another Swiss set-piece chance. Smashed in and Akanji is close to getting a touch. The keeper claims with some relief. That was there to be hit.
11 min: Jon Weeks gets in touch: “San Franciscans have had a complicated relationship with the (redacted) Stadium since the 49ers decamped 40 miles south to Santa Clara. Hard to get to via public transit, parking nightmares, brutal lack of shade. Combined with the low average Fifa rankings of the teams playing there and those laughable prices, the World Cup vibe in the Bay Area has been muted and I’m not surprised to see so many empty seats.”
10 min: The most noise that can heard is when Qatar go on the attack..though there’s a gasp as Ndoye smashes wide for the Swiss. That was the best chance so far.
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9 min: The corner is cleared, and Qatar go on the counter before Aebischer runs back to sweep up.
8 min: As might have been expected, the Swiss are in command of possession, and now force their first corner. Rodriguez, old dependable, will take.
7 min: Good Switzerland chance, good save. Ndoye runs on to a fine Michel Aebischer pass, and forces a save from Abunada, who is a newish player for Lopetegui.
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5 min: Zakaria looks to get away down the right, only for Ahmed to clatter in. Good tackle from the Qatari defender.
4 min: Was that Qatar’s chance? The Swiss looked a bit nervy in defence.
3 min: The atmosphere – not electric. Until…Edmilson gets a chance. It’s a golden one, Akanji having made a mistake. The Swiss keeper, Kobel, comes to the rescue.
Away we go in the Bay Area
1 min: After the countdown, off we go. A note: it seems the Swiss are going four at the back. It appears to be a 4-3-3, an attacking formation, and Embolo gets an early chance to have a dig. That shot is blocked.
The VAR team are viewed, with cheesy grins: it’s a Mexican and Uruguayan squad.
Colin Livingstone gets in touch: As a long time fan of the Alan Parsons Poject, I greatly approve of the walk out music at this World Cup. Also: come on Scotland (later).”
Simon McMahon gets in touch: “Evening John. Qatar v Switzerland is a classic World Cup fixture, one that nobody outside the competing countries, or gamblers, would ever follow otherwise. Can’t wait. The newly expanded format leaves open the delicious possibility, for fans of Pointless at least, that Tuvalu v Central African Republic, or Djibouti v St. Kitts and Nevis, may yet happen...”
It’s hot out there, as they take the field to Alan Parsons’ Sirius. There are empty seats, quite visible. Let’s see if they fill up. First, the national anthems.
The San Francisco Bay Area, the home of the Grateful Dead, Peter Thiel, Danny Glover, Sharon Stone, Haight-Ashbury, Silicon Valley and the Golden Gate bridge awaits. The teams are in the tunnel, their coaches already on the sidelines of the home of the 49-ers.
What do these teams mean? Via Reuters.
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Switzerland’s most capped players Ricardo Rodriguez and captain Granit Xhaka will both make a record 13th World Cup appearance for their country.
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Denis Zakaria returns for Switzerland, Silvan Widmer misses out.
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Qatar made four changes to the team that sealed their qualification for the World Cup, with Almoez, the top scorer in Asian qualifying, left out.
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Twice Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif leads the attack for Qatar.
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Switzerland stick with the same group of defenders who started all six qualifiers and conceded just two goals.
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Swiss 20-year-old attacking midfielder Johan Manzambi is on the bench after starting in recent friendlies.
How’s your bracketology going?
Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos, 35, is according to his coach, Julen Lopetegui “an outstanding role model both on and off the pitch, and one of the finest individuals I have had the pleasure of working with throughout my coaching career”. And yet he starts on the bench, and his 187th cap will come as a sub.
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One of those Swiss veterans, Ricardo Rodriguez, has quite a back story. From 2018. He has 138 caps for his country and now plays for Betis.
The expected formations, are Qatar 4-3-3 and Switzerland 4-2-3-1.
The teams
Qatar: Abunada, Al Oui, Ro Ro, Khouki, Ahmed, Gaber, Madibo, Laye, Junior, Abdurisag, Afif. Subs: Zakaria, Barsham, Lucas Mendes, Hatem, Alaaeldin, Muntari, Al Haydos, Boudiaf, Al Ganehi, Al Brake, Ali, Fatehi, Jamshid, Al Hussain, Al Manai.
Switzerland: Kobel, Zakaria, Akanji, Elvedi, Aebischer, Freuler, Xhaka, Rodriguez, Ndoye, Vargas, Embolo. Subs: Mvogo, Keller, Muheim, Widmer, Manzambi, Jashari, Sow, Fassnacht, Comert, Okafor, Rieder, Amdouni, Amenda, Jaquez, Itten.
Referee: Hector Martinez (Honduras)
Being unable to play during the final part of Real Madrid’s season and not taking part at the World Cup with the Seleção is a feeling impossible to explain. Watching Real Madrid’s crucial matches on TV without being able to step on to the pitch and give my all for the club left a bitter taste. And watching the World Cup squad announcement without the expectation of hearing my name called by Carlo Ancelotti was tough.
Some of the news stories from the first Saturday of the tournament.
Here’s the Qatari star man.
Sunderland fans will be looking forward to seeing their local hero in action.
The 2022 hosts’ preparations for the tournament were disrupted as the US-Iran war caused the cancellation of valuable friendlies against Serbia and champions Argentina in March. The coach, Julen Lopetegui, had wanted as many minutes as possible with his players, having only been appointed in May 2025. Worryingly, they had won only one out of 11 games under the former Spain and Real Madrid manager before the World Cup warm-up games.
Lopetegui did what he had to do though, making sure Qatar reached the World Cup finals, but it was a close call. The Maroons finished fourth out of six teams in the main qualifying group before – aided by home advantage and a favourable schedule – drawing 0-0 with Oman and beating UAE 2-1 to ensure qualification.
There are many reasons why Swiss fans can approach the tournament with hope and anticipation. The team were very comfortable in qualifying, finishing top of their group ahead of Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, winning four games and drawing two.
There is a good mix in the squad between the elder statesmen – such as Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez – and a younger generation represented by Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Johan Manzambi among others. Moreover, the Nati have so far avoided injuries with the Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni seemingly winning his battle to get back after an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Preamble
OK, here’s a test of the expanded tournament. Hipsters only? Though to be fair, both teams are not unfamiliar, having been at the 2022 finals, Qatar as hosts. The Swiss are serial qualifiers, 12 times in all though have never been past the quarters, and that was as long as 1954, when they were hosts. Qatar are Asian champions, no less, and coached by a familiar Premier League face in Julen Lopetegui. The Swiss qualified with ease, topping their group unbeaten. They meet in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Kick-off at 3pm ET/8pm UK time
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