Switzerland dominated the first half against Qatar, but the image of the match is not fully reflected in the fragile 1-0 that accompanied the two teams to the locker room. Murat Yakin’s team imposed their pace from the first minutes, circulated the ball correctly and constantly created conditions for goals, against an opponent who was limited almost exclusively to a passive role.
The Swiss were outstanding and with 15 final tries they were in total control. Dan Etoi has been the most active exponent of their attacking efforts, registering five finals. However, the superiority of the Swiss paid off only once. The only goal of the first half came from Brill Ebolo, who struck from the penalty spot in the 17th minute (Abunada brought down Froehler) in a phase that is still being debated, with strong suspicions of possible offside leading up to the reversal.
On the other hand, Qatar has had a tough time, constantly defending its borders. Julen Lopetegui’s team, although they had the first big chance with Edmilson in the 2nd minute, struggled to keep possession and develop organized. In this, Mahmoud Abunada played a decisive role, who carried out important operations. The goalkeeper of Al Rayyan had terrible positions in the 6th minute in an effort by Edoi, in the 21st minute in a shot by Zakaria, while in stoppage time he beat both the forward of Nottingham and Vargas. The Qataris still had a good moment in the 43rd minute, but Kobel had an excellent reaction to Edmilson’s effort.
Shock at the delays!
In the replay, Murat Yakin’s side controlled the tempo, reducing Qatar to a passive role for long stretches of the match. However, a lack of effectiveness in the final effort kept the Qataris in contention for the result. Lopetegui’s team tried to find spaces, but to no avail. The Swiss picked up the pace after 70′, but both Empolo and Vargas failed to find the back of the net. However, as long as the fragile 1-0 remained, the Qataris hoped for delays… they shocked their opponent. After a wonderful cross from Amin, Kouhi managed to put Switzerland on the canvas (1-1) with a nailed header and seal an impressive surprise in the tournament!
Source: gazzetta.gr