It’s unprecedented, and Qatar would have done well without it. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, the host country lost in the opening match of the competition. The Gulf country conceded a clear defeat, 2-0, once morest Ecuador, Sunday, November 20, on the lawn of the Al-Bayt stadium, in Al-Khor. Qatar never seemed able to compete with the South American selection during this first meeting of the World Cup.
From the 3e minute of play, Qatar were picked cold, conceding a goal from Enner Valencia following a hazardous exit from their goalkeeper… before being saved by an offside signaled a posteriori thanks to the assistance video. It took a few centimeters, impossible to distinguish at real speed.
The first sporting controversy of the competition? Enner Valencia quickly brushed the question aside. A few minutes later, the captain of “la Tri » provokes a fault by the opposing goalkeeper in the area and takes charge of transforming the sanction himself, taking the goalkeeper on the wrong foot (0-1, 16e minute).
Qataris dominated in all areas of the game
The Ecuadorian striker, who plays for club in Fenerbahçe, Turkey, definitely becomes the man of the match when he doubles the lead on the half-hour mark with a head kick as powerful as it is difficult to execute, at the reception of a cross from the right (0-2, 31e minute). A downside, however, for the double scorer: hit in the knee at the end of the first period, he limped off at the end of the match.
Overall, the Qataris were dominated in all areas of the game. Alone in the box once morest the opposing goalkeeper, Almoez Ali still wasted a great opportunity in the last action of the first period. Unable to reverse the trend, his team ended the match without a single shot on target: 2-0, final score.
However, the players of Spain coach Felix Sanchez Bas had been training for four months for this event. Barely the competition started, here are the “Al-Annabi” (the “Bordeaux”) already back to the wall. They will play once morest Senegal (deprived of Sadio Mané) on Friday November 25, at the Al-Thumama stadium, at 2 p.m. For their part, the Ecuadorians might already validate their qualification in the event of a second victory the same day once morest the Netherlands, at the Khalifa International Stadium, at 5 p.m.
Our selection of articles on the 2022 World Cup
