Ecuador beat Qatar with a comfortable 2-0 advantage in the opening match of the World Cup. Here are some talking points from the game.
Follow Us
Billions of viewers from all the over world tuned in for the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup between Qatar and Ecuador. Although, they were limited to a one sided contest, there were lots of talking points and eye catching moments. The hosts, Qatar were handed a comprehensive 2-0 defeat by South American nation, Ecuador. Captain, Enner Valencia was the star of the show with a first half brace and breaking numerous records along the way. Here are some key talking points from the fixture.
Read More: Qatar vs Ecuador: Find out who scored the first goal of the FIFA World Cup 2022
Qatar headed into the tournament as the first time entrants into the competition. Thanks to their host status, the middle East nation was handed an opportunity to perform on the biggest stage. Lots of people expected them to deliver a strong performance however it turned out to be the complete opposite. Ecuador completely overwhelmed the Qataris with the Asian country not able to pass the ball properly. The result was decided in the first half itself and now Qatar face an uphill task in group A.
A lot of pre match talk was surrounded around Ecuador’s captain, Enner Valencia. The forward is the only member from the squad to have previously played in World Cup finals. He was already the nation’s highest goal scorer ever and now also holds the record in the World Cup finals. He found the back of the net within three minutes, only for the goal to be ruled out. However, that couldn’t stop Valencia as he calmly dispatched a penalty before firing a bullet header into the back of the net to earn a brace in the opener.
The other two nations in group A, Netherlands and Senegal are the favourites to advance from group A. The two play out later tomorrow. However, they must have kept a close eye on the opener in relation to their respective chances of qualifying. Both the teams would have looked at Qatar as a fixture to expect three points in. At the same time, they would have been given warnings of not to underestimate a young but effective Ecuador side.
