Qatar got outplayed and embarrassed in a 2-0 loss to Ecuador in front of 67,372 fans at Al Bayt Stadium in the opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
In 92 years of soccer’s biggest event, a host team had never lost its opening game.
The first World Cup in the Middle East is a chance for Qatar, a tiny Arab country jutting out into the Persian Gulf, to showcase itself to the wider world. Its soccer team, playing at this level for the first time by virtue of hosting the tournament, couldn’t live up to the moment as Ecuador captain Enner Valencia scored both goals in the first half.
Ecuador’s last five World Cup goals:
▪️ Valencia vs. Switzerland (2014)
▪️ Valencia vs. Honduras (2014)
▪️ Valencia vs. Honduras (2014)
▪️ Valencia vs. Qatar (2022)
▪️ Valencia vs. Qatar (2022)— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 20, 2022