Every FIFA World Cup matchday has its share of surprises.
Today wrapped up the first matches for Groups A, B, C and D.
Qatar 1 – 1 Switzerland
The opening 10 minutes saw the Swiss with the bulk of possession and chances. But Qatari goalkeeper, Mahud Abunada, responded well to the Swiss’s attacking opportunities, with two important saves early on.
However, Abunada was also the creator of Qatar’s early demise as he gave away a penalty in the 13th minute by bringing down a Swiss player inside the 6-yard box.
Breel Embolo stepped up to the spot and buried his shot into the corner, sending the keeper the wrong way and giving Switzerland an early lead.
Qatar managed a couple of shots on target in the first half with their limited possession, a tribute to their quick counterattack. But Swiss keeper, Gregor Kobel, was alert in the moments he was called on.
Switzerland kept up the pressure through the half, but Abunada continued to keep his Qatari side in the match.
The second half was much the same; Switzerland dominated possession and chances, while Qatar looked for the rare break.
Abunada continued his player-of-the-match performance, guarding his net to ensure the Swiss only had their one-goal lead. The Qatari keeper was busier than his Swiss counterpart throughout the match and helped quiet those who may have thought the more experienced Salah Zakaria should have started.
But for those who may have left the match early, they missed out on a hell of an ending.
Deep in stoppage time, Boualem Khoukhi grabbed the equalizing goal with barely a minute left in the match. His aerial ability to get up and over his defender for the header turned this match (and Group B) on its head.
And with this 1-1 draw, Group B is level across the table.
Brazil 1 – 1 Morocco
Morocco started brightly, taking advantage of an apparent hesitation in Brazil. Morocco continually pressed forward, not only with their attackers but their midfield as well, placing numbers along the edge of the 18-yard box.
The African champions were also quick to capitalize on Brazilian missteps and poor passes.
And just when Brazil started to show signs of life, Morocco hit back. Brahim Díaz threaded an excellent pass up to Ismael Saibari through two Brazilian defenders.
Saibari got ahead of Brazil’s backline and passed the ball into the back of the net, beyond the Brazilian keeper, Alisson, in the 21st minute.
Even though Brazil did not look good in the first half, their superstars kept them alive. Vinicius Jr. got his nation on the board in the 32nd minute with an excellent piece of work, playing a quick 1-2 passing sequence with Bruno Guimarães to make space for him to move into a shooting position and unleash a bullet past Morocco’s goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou.
Neither side was able to use the second half to get the go-ahead goal. Instead, the match became tactical with both fighting for inches on the pitch rather than entry into the box.
The score would remain 1-1, leaving either Scotland or Haiti the opportunity to take a lead in Group C.
Scotland 1 – 0 Haiti
Scotland started on the front foot of this match. In front of the predominantly Haitian-favoured crowd, Scotland was closing down and pressing Haiti at every opportunity, trying to force an error.
But Haiti weathered the initial storm. Both sides were exchanging shots and heavy tackles alike, promising an aggressive match.
Scott McTominay had the first golden opportunity in the 17th minute. He entered the 18-yard box late, receiving the ball from the right as his shot rang off the near post and bounced harmlessly away.
John McGinn put Scotland up by one in the 28th minute. Che Adams’s initial shot was saved by Haitian keeper, Johny Placide, but McGinn pounced on the rebound and chipped over the melee in front of him.
Scotland braved a scare in the 35th minute as Ruben Providence cut inside on the left, gained entry into the 18-yard box and let a shot go. Frantzdy Pierrot attempted the rebound, but the whistle blew for a foul on the play.
The second half was cagey as neither side truly challenged the goal for the first 20 minutes. McGinn’s chance in the 74th minute was the first real opportunity in the second half, a half that saw no shots on target until Haiti recorded one several minutes later.
Offensive changes saw Haiti push for the equalizer, but Scotland did well to hang on. The win was enough to put the Scots on top of Group C, but with the earlier match between Morocco and Brazil, no nation could lay claim to a confident qualification just yet.
Australia 2 – 0 Türkiye
Türkiye took control of BC Place early on. Their passing, particularly through the middle and right channels, continuously caught out Australia, but they were unable to make an impact as movement into the 18-yard box proved to be fleeting.
The situation for Australia was similar, with only one touch inside Türkiye’s 18-yard box in the first 25 minutes of play. However, the Socceroos started to find pockets of space between Türkiye’s defensive line and midfield.
And they exploited it in spectacular fashion. It began with an opportunity for Türkiye, a strong shot and the first of the match on target.
Australia turned it around and hit Türkiye on the counter, getting the ball to Nestory Irankunda. The striker moved in as the Turkish keeper, Ugurcan Çakir, came out to challenge.
Irankunda passed it beyond him, putting Australia up by one in the 27th minute.
Punched first, Türkiye fought back, ringing one off the post in the 30th minute. Abdülkerim Bardakci’s shot from distance was powerful, beating the Aussie goalkeeper Patrick Beach but not the post.
Australia continued to limit Türkiye’s chances in the second half. Türkiye did have a chance in the 57th minute as Türkiye had a free kick get by the wall and challenge Beach.
Türkiye started displaying their ability around the 60th minute, pushing Australia into their defensive half. The Aussies were hemmed in, unable to mount any sort of attack, including their counter that proved so successful in the first half.
But as they have shown before, Australia finds a way. Connor Metcalfe, in the 75th minute, broke out on the counter, cut in from the right and unleashed a hard low shot on his left foot.
The keeper was not able to get down quickly enough, and suddenly out of nothing, Australia found themselves up by two with 15 minutes left.
Wave after wave came from Türkiye, but there was little they could do against Australia’s low block. The Socceroos held on, maintaining the clean sheet and their two-goal advantage.
Up next
Tomorrow sees the powerhouse of Germany take on Curacao, followed by the Netherlands and Japan.
Côte d’Ivoire play Ecuador. The final match of the day is Sweden against Tunisia.
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