Qatar was defeated 2-0 by Ecuador in the opening match of the World Cup. This is the first time in the history of the competition that the host country has been defeated in the opening match. Coach Felix Sanchez's men were not clear on the pitch and showed signs of nervousness during the match, never getting on their game.
Ecuador dominated the match throughout the 90 minutes, scoring very quickly in the 3rd minute, when Valencia headed the ball into the net. However, the player's goal was quickly disallowed by the VAR system for offside. Despite this, this only motivated the Ecuadorians more, who won a penalty in the 16th minute of the challenge. Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb wrongly tackled Valencia in the area, and the former West Ham striker was accurate from the penalty spot to put his side ahead.
In the 31st minute of the match, it was Valencia again, who with a beautiful header scored the second goal for Ecuador. The first half of the match ended with a score of 2-0, as Qatar never had a concrete chance to threaten the opponents' goal.
Many of the home fans left the stadium at halftime, and this contributed to a tepid atmosphere during the second half. The hosts tried to get into the game by being more aggressive on the counterattack, but Ecuador managed to defend successfully, leaving no space for the opponent. Almoez Ali and captain Hassan Al Haydos were replaced by coach Sanchez 20 minutes before the end of the match, and from that moment the home team could not register a single shot on the Ecuadorian goal. Qualifying from the group already seems an almost impossible mission for Qatar, who will play the next matches against Holland and Senegal.
