It was the final game of the first round of Group B in the World Cup which saw group favourites Switzerland face of against the weakest side in the group in Qatar in San Francisco.

With Canada and Bosnia playing out a draw yesterday both sides knew that a victory would put them in a fantastic position to qualify for the final 32, with the pressure being on the Swiss, with them being heavy favourites for the fixture.

Only two minutes in, the chance of an upset was at a high when Manuel Akanji got his feet all mixed up, which gave winger Edmilson Junior a golden chance to put Qatar in the lead; however, after too many touches, he made the angle tight, which led to his effort being put straight at goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Not long after, it was Switzerland who had the best chance for the lead when a loose Breel Embolo header fell in the way of Remo Freuler, and after rounding keeper Abunada, he was taken out by him and led to the referee, Héctor Saíd Martínez Sorto, having no choice but to point to the spot.

However, upon the replay, it has looked like Freuler was offside, only marginally, when Embolo headed, so everyone sat at home was ready for it to be pulled back; however, the penalty was allowed, and Embolo was the man to take it, and he slotted it in the left corner, sending Abunada the wrong way.

It was in the 95th minute when the next goal came, when a promising Homan Elamin cross was bulleted in by 35-year-old captain Boualem Khouiki, who flew the ball across the right side of the goal, sending the Qatar fans and players alike into bedlam, with more of a sense of disbelief than anything, with Switzerland looking equally dumbfounded.

The Swiss were not short of chances; however, a mix of chances from Embolo, Vargas Ndoye and Aebischer should have gave Switzerland a comfortable lead with Vargas having the best chance with a one on one hit tamely at the keeper in the second half.

Qatar can be very grateful for keeper Mahmud Abunada, despite him conceding a penalty that we are not sure yet whether it should have stood, he made a plethora of incredible stops, with the pick of the bunch being a tip over the bar from captain Granit Xhaka and the aforementioned Vargas chance, and without him, that late goal would have been nothing more than a consolation.

This game should have been a walk for the Swiss and they only have themselves to blame for that as with more clinical finishing it would have been an incredibly comfortable three points and a perfect start to the group.

Potentially the most frustrating part about the performance was how lackadaisical the Swiss defence was in the last ten minutes or so, with the side acting like the win was already done, so that adds to the Swiss annoyance.

On the positive side, Switzerland's attack did look dangerous with Vargas especially being really dangerous on the left, and veteran full back Ricardo Rodriguez played a strong game and also broke the record by playing in his sixth World Cup for the Swiss, joining Xhaka in that feat.

Deserved doesn't quite feel like the word for the Qatar point with Switzerland having 3.24xG to Qatar's 0.76xG, but that last-minute equaliser represented the progress Qatar made since their last World Cup.

Qatar will know all too well that they can't get away with performances like that throughout the group stage, with them looking very blunt in the final third, but if they can defend like they did today, they will frustrate Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada.

If Qatar are to do the incredible feat of qualifying for the knockouts, they will need to shorten the gap between midfield and attack, as it felt so disconnected, which really did make chances come thin and few for Qatar.

I firmly believe that after this game Group B will be the one to watch. It is incredibly open now with Switzerland only being top of the group due to having the least yellow cards, so it is all to play for.

Switzerland will play Bosnia next and will be targeting a win to get the World Cup back on track, and have learned the lesson of the importance of finishing.

Canada will host Qatar next at BC Place in Vancouver, with both sides knowing that a win will be paramount in them trying to get out of the groups and should give them the points to qualify as the best third-place team if either side finishes there.