World Cup There are nights that enter directly into the collective memory of a country, and this night at Levi’s Stadium in California will be remembered in Doha for generations. Qatar achieved its first point in history in the knockout stages of the World Cup by equalizing in the final minutes of a match dominated overwhelmingly by Switzerland, which created a barrage of opportunities. However, it was goalkeeper Abunad who saved even what seemed impossible, thus becoming the hero of a team that was initially considered the weakest but managed to hold back the group favorite. It was a true anthem of resistance, signed with the gloves of a man who became a giant: goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham Abunad. The Swiss well remembered that Qatar was at the worst moment in the history of Swiss football when they lost at home, 0-1, in November 2018. On that day, the great Qatari star, Akram Afif, scored. Yesterday, the nightmare was even greater, with more devastating consequences. The account of this match could be summarized as a Swiss monologue. From the first whistle, Switzerland took control of the game, settled in the opponent’s midfield, and generated an offensive avalanche that seemed to predict a calm night for Murat Yakin’s men. There were moments when a rout was the only expectation. With Xhaka dictating the rhythm and Ndoye destabilizing on the flanks, danger loomed over the Qatari goal every five minutes. There were shots off the post, clearances on the goal line, and glaring missed opportunities that exasperated the Swiss bench. On the field, a giant: Abunad. The Asian resistance had a plan, strategically designed by Julen Lopetegui, who expertly built a true human wall and, in the final moments, sent the most important message of this team’s life onto the field: he put in more offensive-minded players, and the team believed. A lesson remains. No tactic survives a minimal lead, and what for almost 90 minutes seemed like a miracle transformed into reality. A play on the left, a perfectly measured cross by Al Amin to the head of Boualem Khoukhi, and an incredible explosion of joy for those who endured immense suffering throughout the match. It has been said that almost always when anticipating a rout, the history of football has shown us that a minimal lead is never secure, no matter how overwhelming the dominance. Perhaps that is why, as the clock ticked down, Swiss nervousness contrasted with Qatari belief. It is true that Manzambi brought aggression to the Swiss attack and could have scored the goal of tranquility in two situations, but tragedy was there to be experienced. The draw feels like a victory for a Qatar team that spent 85 minutes gasping for breath and, with its only worthy shot in the second half, earned a point that is the first in its history and makes Lopetegui dream of qualifying for the next stage. No predictions pointed to such a scenario at the end of the first round. The final whistle was met with an explosion of joy on the Qatari bench. Lopetegui embraced Abunad, the man of the match, the undisputed hero of a historic night. The point earned complicates the standings in Group B, following the draw between Canada and Bosnia, and Switzerland leaves the field with a tremendous sense of injustice, but history is written with goals and points. And today, against all odds, Qatar made history in the World Cup.
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