Breel Embolo converted the first penalty of the World Cup 2026 to give Switzerland a 17th-minute lead in their Group B opener against Qatar in Santa Clara on Saturday.
Rennes forward Embolo, whose arrival in the US was held up because of a delay to his visa approval, struck coolly for his 25th international goal following a foul by goalkeeper Abunada on Remo Freuler, with a lengthy Video Assistant Referee review for offside ruling in Switzerland's favour.
Breel Embolo converts 🥶
Switzerland score from the spot! pic.twitter.com/KddRwjB2Yo
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 13, 2026
Former England defender Lee Dixon was surprised by the decision to award the penalty, having been convinced that a Nati player had been offside.
“I'm looking at a monitor with a 33-degree sun shining straight into it,†Dixon told ITV. “I've seen the replay – surely my vision isn't that bad. I must have missed something.â€
The referee points to the spot for Switzerland…
But was there a suspicion of offside in the build-up? pic.twitter.com/Tk2lsdHUis
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 13, 2026
World Cup 2026: Should Switzerland goal vs Qatar have stood?
Former referee Christina Unkel told Dixon that he had not been “too far off†but backed the review outcome.
“The technology that's been implemented in this World Cup is at a higher level, so it's going to be even sharper and crisper,†explained Unkel.
“It did look like offside from our scenario as well, but the technology is so advanced that it's going to be able to tell very accurately from the millimetre.
“This is a very, very tight offside – but the technology checked on both of the two offside interactions.â€
Breel Embolo drops the 6-7 celebration 🤪
He puts Switzerland in front from the spot! pic.twitter.com/pDVOTSTOQW
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 13, 2026
Qatar team vs Switzerland
Ahmed Fathy replaced Assim Madibo in midfield in Qatar's 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, EdmÃlson Junior, Yusuf Abdurisag, Akram Afif
Qatar 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 Mannai
Switzerland team vs Qatar
Switzerland 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 Vargas
Switzerland 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 Itten
Where to watch Qatar vs Switzerland: TV channel, live online stream
Qatar vs Switzerland kicked off at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT) on Saturday. In the UK, live TV coverage is on ITV1.
Live streaming on a vast range of devices is available through the ITVX app.
Click HERE for a full World Cup TV guide
