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Qatar hosted the first game of the 2022 World Cup last night, but what should have been a dream come true became a nightmare.
The opening match pitted Qatar against Ecuador, and the quality of both sides could not have been more obvious.
Ecuador basically finished the match in the first half, scoring 2-0 against the hosts.
The loss breaks the tradition of the host country winning the opening match of the soccer festival, the first host loss in decades.
Summary
The opening ceremony was a sight to behold as actor Morgan Freeman took to the stage before BTS star Jung Kook performed.
The main event finally took center stage, but not everything went according to plan.
Qatar looked nervous in the match, struggling against an experienced Ecuador side.
The opponents took plenty of chances and were rewarded with two goals by Ecuadorian forward Enner Valencia.
The match was all but over in the first half.
When the second half kicked off, the stadium had more empty seats as some fans felt they’d seen enough.
The lineup
The host nation’s starting lineup was a power team that reached the 2021 Gold Cup semifinals and won the 2019 Asian Cup.
The team consisted of the following:
- Saad Alsheeb
- Pedro Miguel
- Abdelkarim Hassan
- Homam Ahmed
- Bassam Hisham
- Boualem Khoukhi
- Abdulaziz Hatem
- Hassan Alhaydos
- Karim Boudiaf
- Akram Afif
- Almoez Ali
Meanwhile, Ecuador faced some controversy around Byron Castillo’s eligibility since he was born in Colombia.
Despite the loss of Castillo, Ecuador remains a strong side with the following:
- Hernán Galíndez
- Piero Hincapié
- Félix Torres
- Angelo Preciado
- Pervis Estupiñán
- Gonzalo Plata
- Jhegson Méndez
- Moisés Caicedo
- Romario Ibarra
- Michael Estrada
- Enner Valencia
The match
When the match began, Ecuador immediately shifted into high gear.
The opponents thought they had taken the lead three minutes into the game.
As Valencia headed in the ball, Ecuador and their fans cheered, but VAR (Video Assistant Referee) called an offside, disallowing the goal.
Despite the disappointment, the opposition did not relent.
Minutes later, Ecuador was awarded a penalty kick as Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb fouled Valencia within the box.
Enner Valencia quickly slotted in the goal, and the yellow shirts were feeling festive again with their celebration.
Throughout the first half, Ecuador saw more of the ball and used their experience to overwhelm the hosts.
Before the end of the half, Valencia shot in a bullet header to the bottom corner, increasing their lead.
Ecuador continued to press on Qatar in the second half, but despite their downtrodden spirit, the hosts managed to stay compact on the defense.
Towards the end, Qatar nearly got a goal, but the shot went above the crossbar.
Qatar is set to face a solid Netherlands side on November 29 with hopes of advancing to the round of 16.
References:
Ecuador dampens Qatar’s party as controversial World Cup gets underway
Qatar vs Ecuador: lineups for today’s Qatar 2022 World Cup game
