Veteran centre-back Boualem Khoukhis emphatic header in second-half added time earned Qatar their first-ever World Cup point at the fourth attempt to deny dominant Switzerland an opening victory at the 2026 finals in Santa Clara.Caps centurion Khouki powered in Homam El Amins left-wing cross at the far post in the 94th minute as former West Ham, Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui led the 2022 hosts to the first surprise of this edition, hitting back after Breel Embolo had scored his 25th international goal with a penalty for the 17th-minute opener.In a controversial decision, Embolo who was forced to delay his arrival in the US because of a delay to his visa approval converted after a Video Assistant Referee check ruled that no Switzerland player had been offside when goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada brought down Remo Freuler.Qater were indebted to Abunada for turning Embolos shot around a post during first-half added time, with Nati midfielder Michel Aebischer also having a strike cleared off the line with an intervention that proved precious when captain Khoukhi achieved a piece of history for his country.Table of ContentsQatar vs Switzerland analysis: FIFA lack transparencyQatar goal vs Switzerland: Glory is KhoukhisQatar team vs SwitzerlandSwitzerland team vs QatarQatar vs Switzerland statsQatar vs Switzerland analysis: FIFA lack transparencyFormer referee Christina Unkel, who has been providing expert insight on these finals, defended the effectiveness of the technology at the tournament but could not argue with one former England internationals criticism of the apparent secrecy around its conclusions for Embolos spot kick.Its absolutely ridiculous, ex-Manchester United captain Gary Neville told ITV. Honestly, to not show the evidence of an offside prove to us its offside. Show it straight away. Why not the transparency?FIFA are the host broadcaster; theyve got the evidence of the automatic decision, which theyre not showing us. Why are they not showing us? Fans are already distrusting of FIFA and the technology to start with. Theres a massive question mark over that. That is offside, in my eyes, until somebody proves differently.Former England striker Ian Wright laughingly accused FIFA of doing what they want. Theyre in the office seeing it now, added Wright. Its scandalous.Unkel said FIFA and the International Football Association Board had been very big about trying to increase the fan experience, not just for those in the stadium but also outside the stadium.This is an opportunity to do so, she rued. I respectfully think this is a miss on them.Qatar goal vs Switzerland: Glory is KhoukhisQatar doubled their all-time tally at the finals in style, having had under 32% of possession. They finished on an expected goals total of 0.76 to 3.24 for Switzerland.It surely has come back to bite them, said former England defender Lee Dixon. The ball into the box is brilliant.How well does [Khoukhi] do? Eye on the ball, goes right over the top of the defender, and the glory is his.He had a whole team and the subs lying on top of him. Superb. The goalkeeper [Gregor Kobel] had no chance.Qatar team vs SwitzerlandAhmed Fathy replaced Assim Madibo in midfield in Qatars one change from their 0-0 draw with El Salvador in Los Angeles on June 6.Left-winger Akram Afif, who plays for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd, is a two-time Asian Footballer of the Year.Qatar starting XI: Mahmoud Abunada, Ayoub Al Oui, Pedro Miguel, Boualem Khoukhi, Homam El Amin, Jassem Gaber, Assim Madibo, Issa Laye, Edmlson Junior, Yusuf Abdurisag, Akram AfifQatar substitutes: Meshaal Barsham, Lucas Mendes, Abdulaziz Hatem, Ahmed Alaa, Mohammed Muntari, Hassan Al Haydos, Karim Boudiaf, Ahmed Al Ganehi, Sultan Al Brake, Almoez Ali, Ahmed Fathy, Salah Zakaria, Tahsin Mohammed, Al Hashmi Al Hussain, Mohammad Al MannaiSwitzerland team vs QatarSwitzerland made three alterations from their 1-1 draw with Australia in San Diego a week earlier, bringing in midfielder Denis Zakaria and forwards Embolo and Ruben Vargas.Silvan Widmer, Zeki Amdouni and Eray Comert moved to the bench.Switzerland starting XI: Gregor Kobel, Denis Zakaria, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, Michel Aebischer, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka, Ricardo Rodriguez, Dan Ndoye, Breel Embolo, Ruben VargasSwitzerland substitutes: Yvon Mvogo, Miro Muheim, Silvan Widmer, Johan Manzambi, Ardon Jashari, Djibril Sow, Christian Fassnacht, Eray Comert, Noah Okafor, Marvin Keller, Fabian Rieder, Zeki Amdouni, Aurele Amenda, Luca Jaquez, Cedric IttenQatar vs Switzerland statsQatar finished bottom of their group on their World Cup debut as hosts in 2022, losing all three of their matches, conceding seven goals and scoring onceAmong sides to have played at least 10 games in the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers, Qatars games produced more goals per game than any other side (3.61). Of AFC sides to reach the World Cup, Qatar lost more games than any other nation (5)Almoez Ali is Qatars record marksman with 55 goals in 114 appearances but has not netted since scoring against Oman in December 2024Ghanaian-born striker Mohammed Muntari scored Qatars only previous World Cup goalSwitzerland last reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1954, when the tournament was played on home soil. Since then, theyve never progressed past the second roundThey are one of two European teams to have reached the knockout stages in each of the last six major international tournaments (World Cup and EURO), alongside FranceMurat Yakins side conceded a total of two goals in qualifying, having shipped 14 across six matches in their preceding Nations League campaignEmbolo was Switzerlands top scorer in qualifying campaign with four goals and is one of five players to have scored multiple goals at both the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 EURO, along with Harry Kane, Kai Havertz, Niclas Fullkrug and Cody GakpoRicardo Rodriguez is at his fourth edition of the World Cup and has started every single match at six different major tournaments Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup Qatar National Football Team Switzerland National Football Team World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read World Cup 2026 live: Brazil vs Morocco confirmed teams and full line ups, TV channel, live online stream and stats with Alisson, Gabriel, Vinicius Junior and Raphinha among starters Ben Miller 13th June, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Qatar vs Switzerland Breel Embolo goal gives Nati lead with penalty as referee backs VAR on very, very tight offside check Ben Miller 13th June, 2026 England recover stolen training equipment ahead of World Cup opener Mitch Fretton 13th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Qatar vs Switzerland confirmed line-ups and full teams Mitch Fretton 13th June, 2026 Haiti v Scotland: Line-ups, stats and preview as Clarkes men seek first World Cup win for 36 years Nicholas McGee 13th June, 2026 Qatar v Switzerland: Predicted line-ups, preview and where to watch World Cup Group B clash Jon Fisher 13th June, 2026
