At the FIFA 2022 World Cup, Ecuador easily beat Qatar in a demoralizing loss at Al Bayt.
Senegal and three-time finalists the Netherlands looked incredibly strong on paper, but the Qataris completely dominated them on the field.
Another chance in the opening led to a header by Enner Valencia ruled out for offside by a video assistant referee. Still, the South Americans drew even with the hosts soon afterward.
The erratic goalkeeper from Qatar, Saad Al Sheeb, allowed Valencia to get level in the box, and the ex-West Ham striker promptly rose to clear the penalty kick. It got inferior for the hosts as Valencia powered in another header before the break to clear the silence from the Al Bayt Stadium.
Fans who had left the stadium mid-way didn’t return, leaving the ground with only partial seating for Romario Ibarra’s curling shot. This contributed to a flat atmosphere on and off the field, with Al-Sheeb’s long-hop shot being stopped by Al Sheeb.
Qatar’s Fantasy Becomes a Nightmare
It had been 12 years since the controversy and gossip were settled before a ready football had been played in Qatar’s FIFA World Cup.
Their opening match became a nightmare for Qatar, losing an opening game to the previous record.
The Asian champions won in 2019, and it didn’t matter whether Hernan Galindez remained sharp or remained unworn to the Panama City versus Ecuador final.
In 2010, South Africa was the only one not to emerge from group play; Qatar might follow as the second.
Ecuador, meanwhile, has proven itself capable of keeping an excellent record, defeating teams in just 16 games and creating an unbeaten run in their last seven contests.
They knew they had the upper hand, with the ball far out in the back of the net after 160 seconds, but Valencia’s remaining near-enough header was judged offside by video review.
Felix Torres was initially confused by the goal’s failure, but his challenge with goalkeeper Michael Estrada eventually fell to an offside position.
In Qatar- Ecuador match, in which Ecuador’s goalkeeper Al Sheeb was particularly shaky, he significantly diminished Valencia’s performance, displaying legal coolness by coolly rolling in the penalty. Qatar did not let up a bit, failing even to get a chance to shoot for the first time with Abdelkarim Hassan in their sights until they headed toward the goal, but his push into the range resulted in a un redirect.
Star player Ali, who scored nine goals in the Asian Cup victory, turned down the opportunity to play and instead headed wide, while player Pedro Miguel did the same thing in the second half.
With many people leaving to go back home, Akram Afif and substitute Mohammed Muntari attempted to end an already disappointing opening night for Qatar.
Read Also: Qatar’s Remarkable Opening Ceremony
