The second round of Group B of the World Cup begins this Thursday (18) surrounded by a rarity: three of the teams are still looking for the first victory in their history in World Cups.
Canada, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland start the round tied with one point.
The balance was built by the 1-1 draws between Canada and Bosnia, in Toronto, and between Qatar and Switzerland, in Santa Clara (California).
This Thursday’s first match pits Switzerland against Bosnia and Herzegovina, at 4pm (Brasília time), in Los Angeles. The clash has a short history: the teams have faced each other only once, in a friendly played in 2016, with a 2-0 Bosnian victory.
Later, at 7pm, in Vancouver, Canada and Qatar will compete in another clash that could completely change the configuration of the bracket. The teams have faced each other only once, in a friendly held in 2022, won by the Canadians 2-0.
Switzerland is the only team considered traditional in the group and is competing for its 13th World Cup. The country reached the quarter-finals on three occasions.
Canada came out of the first round with a bittersweet feeling. Playing at home, in front of a crowd that turned Toronto into a party, the team saw Bosnia open the scoring with Jovo Lukic and had to seek a draw in the final stage with Cyle Larin.
The result guaranteed the Canadians only the first point in their history in World Cups.
In the other group game, Qatar enjoyed a historic night. After ending the 2022 World Cup without points, the Asian team won their first in the tournament thanks to a stoppage-time equalizer against Switzerland.
The Swiss opened the scoring with Breel Embolo and controlled much of the match, finishing more than two dozen times throughout the 90 minutes. Qatar resisted the pressure and equalized in stoppage time when captain Boualem Khoukhi’s header deflected off Miro Muheim and into Kobel’s net.
The point achieved reinforced the perception of evolution of the team led by Julen Lopetegui, formerly of Real Madrid, Sevilla, Wolverhampton and West Ham.
Two-time Asian champion, Qatar is trying to show that the winless campaign when it hosted the World Cup does not represent the current stage of the team.
Canada is placing its hopes mainly on striker Jonathan David and remains a mystery about the situation of left-back Alphonso Davies, the team’s main name, who is recovering from injury.
In the match between Europeans in Los Angeles, Switzerland reaches the second round with the responsibility of confirming the favoritism it carried before the start of the competition.
The draw suffered in the final minutes against Qatar increased the pressure for the next duel. The spotlight will be on midfielder Granit Xhaka, team captain, and top scorer Embolo.
Bosnia, for its part, can count on the experienced striker Edin Džeko, who at 40 years old is playing in his first World Cup since 2014, and the team’s positive moment under the command of Sergej Barbarez.
Džeko did not take the field against Canada, and the team was anchored by the defense formed by Katic and Muharemovic, as well as Jovo Lukic.
If the lack of tradition can be a nuisance, it also guarantees that one of the teams will make history. As each bracket classifies at least two teams, at least one of the three teams will have to advance to the next phase.
