The South Americans started the tournament with an easy win over the hosts.
Ecuador defeated Qatar 2-0 in the opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. An uninspiring performance from the hosts saw Ecuador claim a crucial win at Al Bayt Stadium.
The World Cup is here!
A spectacular opening ceremony ended football fans’ long wait for the start of the 2022 World Cup.
The hosts then came into the pitch to officially kick off the tournament with a match against Ecuador. But it was evident from the beginning that they won’t have an easy time defending against their South American opponents.
Ecuador quickly established their dominance over the possession, attacking Qatar down both flanks.
The guests thought they had scored the opener only two minutes into the game. But the referee ruled out the goal for offside after a VAR check.
The decision, however, didn’t stop Ecuador from continuing their attacks. In the 16th minute, Enner Valencia scored the opening goal of the tournament by converting a penalty.
The Ecuador captain then doubled his side’s lead only 15 minutes later. Following a precise cross from Harold Preciado, Valencia made it 2-0 with a powerful header.
Qatar looked much improved in the second period. But they were not able to turn their control over possession into serious goalscoring chances.
The hosts ended the game without registering a shot on target as Ecuador claimed a massive first win.
The South American side will take on Netherlands in their next Group A match, while Qatar face Senegal.
Player Ratings
Qatar: Al Sheeb (5); Al-Rawi (6), Khoukhi (5), Hassan (6); Pedro Miguel (6), Hatem (6), Boudiaf (5), Al Haydos (7), Homam Ahmed (5); Almoez Ali (5), Akram Afif (6).
Bench: Al Bayati (6), Muntari (6).
Ecuador: Galíndez (6); Preciado (6), Torres (6), Hincapié (7), Estupiñán (7); Ibarra (7), Méndez (7), Moisés Caicedo (6), Plata (5); Enner Valencia (9), Estrada (7).
Bench: Franco (-), Cifuentes (5), Sarmiento (7), Rodriguez (-).
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