Al Khor, Qatar: The World Cup hosts Qatar had a terrible start to their campaign with a 2-0 loss to Ecuador, leaving them with an uphill battle to advance out of their group in their first-ever World Cup.
On November 20th, 2022 at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar conceded a goal just three minutes after the match’s start. Qatar played in front of the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, other Qatari royals, several foreign officials, and a crowd of 67,372.
The Video Assistance Referee (VAR) ruled that Ecuador’s Enner Valencia’s header from a long-distance free-kick effort by Pervis Estupinan close to the halfway line was offside.
Enner was on fire! ???
Valencia becomes Ecuador's all-time top #FIFAWorldCup goal-scorer! ? #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/3OjInnTco6
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 20, 2022
After just 15 minutes of play, Valencia was fouled in the penalty area by Qatari goalkeeper Saad al-Sheep, and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. Valencia scored the penalty kick to the goalkeeper’s right to become Ecuador’s all-time leading World Cup scorer.
Valencia scored fifteen minutes later, extending Ecuador’s lead with a header from just beyond the penalty area on the right. After thirty minutes, Qatar trailed Ecuador 2-0 and still needed to touch the ball inside the Ecuadorian penalty area.
The home team seemed more comfortable as halftime approached, but they needed help to transfer this comfort into effective offensive action after the break. Qatar’s possession dominance in the second half compelled Ecuador to maintain a tight defensive formation.
Valencia, who had been the recipient of a few complicated challenges, was replaced by Jose Cifuentes in the game’s fourth quarter due to injury. Ecuador which also has to compete with Senegal and the Netherlands in the coming days to qualify for the next level hopes that their top player has not been seriously injured.
⏱ Ecuador take the points in our first game at #Qatar2022! @adidasfootball | #FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 20, 2022
Jeremy Sarmiento, who had replaced Romario Ibarra 10 minutes earlier, nearly added a third goal with a curling shot in the 79th minute, but he missed the target.
Mohammed Muntari almost became a Qatari hero in the 86th minute when he received a long pass and attempted to beat the goalkeeper with a powerful volley, but the ball landed on top of the goal net.
Qatar, the only host nation in World Cup history to lose its opening match, had only five shots, none of which were on target. There were only two touches within the opponent’s penalty area. Upon leaving the stadium, some Qatari supporters were stunned by the outcome.
Qatar supporter Mr. Ahmed al-Darwish told the media that, “So, so bad. Everything leading up to the game was great. But that performance was very bad. I grew up watching football. I love football, but that was disappointing. The whole world was watching us.”
Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, a fan of Qatar, stated that he is waiting for the next matches. Qatar will play against Senegal in five days and the Netherlands on November 29.
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