FIFA World Cup 2022 Highlights: Qatar 0-2 Ecuador after Full Time

Enner Valencia’s two goals gave Ecuador a commanding 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup. In the first half, it was all about the dominance of the South Americans as they completely outplayed Qatar. The first goal was a penalty while the second was a brilliant header.  As a result, Qatar became the first World Cup host to lose an opening game.

Qatar (5-3-2): Saad Alsheeb; Pedro Miguel, Boualem Khoukhi, Bassam Hisham, Abdelkarim Hassan, Homam Ahmed; Abdulaziz Hatem, Hassan Alhaydos, Karim Boudiaf; Akram Afif, Almoez Ali. Substitutes: Mohammed Waad, Tarek Salman, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Yousof Hassan, Meshaal Barsham, Ali Assaballa, Mohammed Muntari, Musaab Khidir, Ismail Mohamad, Khalid Muneer, Salem Al Hajri, Assim Madibo, Naif Abdulraheem, Jassem Gaber, Mostafa Tarek Meshaal,

Ecuador (4-4-2): Galindez, A Preciado, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan; Plata, Mendez, Caicedo, Ibarra; Valencia, Estrada. Substitutes: Arboleda, Cifuentes, Pacho, Gruezo, E Preciado, Ramirez, Arreaga, Mena, Sarmiento, Palacios, Franco, Dominguez, Reasco, Porozo, Rodriguez.

Qatar vs Ecuador: A celebration not just for the winners!

Sandip G: Here in Doha, the eldest was Roberto Olmedo, a 53-year-old physical education teacher from Quito, who is watching his fourth World Cup. He is the head of a group of 100 from the capital city. It took his group four days, including multiple transits, to cover the nearly 14,000 km across Africa and Europe into the heart of the Middle East. “We knew the journey would be hectic, but our national team had taken lots of pain to reach the World Cup,” he said, breaking into an ever-ready chuckle.

Nearly 5,000 Ecuadorians have landed in Doha to support the national team, which is featuring in their fourth World Cup. Most of them have one name emblazoned on the back of their pleasant, yellow jerseys: 23 Caicedo, their talisman and with whom their hopes of progressing from the group hinge. “We call him El Nino Moi, which is a little boy ‘Moi (of Moises)’. He is our little boy with big hopes,” he says.

As they entered the train, they draped the steel bars inside it with the flags and spread one on the front window as well. The national anthem gave away to the football anthem, “Yo to Dare”, composed by hardline supporters of Liga Deportiva Universitaria, the country’s most successful club.

It was not just the Ecuadorians. The opening day was also being celebrated by a few Argentines and Mexicans, transporting the Middle Eastern city into a Latin American “bulevar” (boulevard) or “camino” (path). Many of them didn’t have tickets for the first game, and headed to the fans park.

The plusher city centre had a more European vibe: packed cafes and the scent of frappe; bodies sprawled on the grass banks under the crisp afternoon sun; banter in the refined Castilian twang of Madrid; an Englishman engrossed in the Michael Connelly bestseller “Desert Star”.

Then there was the corniche, a stretch of street that has become a kaleidoscope of colourful flags and football kits over the past few weeks. On Sunday, a few wearing France’s jerseys were loitering in the pavement, weighing in on the injury-enforced absence of Karim Benzema.

All in all, it was clear that the fans had put their fears and doubts aside and plunged headlong into the intoxicating spectacle (though without the intoxicants) that is a World Cup. It was an unforgettable day — with a forgettable ending for the hosts.

With Thanks Reference to: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/qatar-vs-ecuador-live-score-fifa-world-cup-2022-kicks-off-at-al-bayt-stadium-8279262/