World Cup 2022: Qatar Loses 0-2 to Ecuador
Dubai, MINA – The Qatar National Team had to admit Ecuador’s superiority after being beaten 0-2 without reply in the inaugural match of the 2022 World Cup which took place at Al Bayt Stadium, Sunday.
As quoted from Bola.net, the Qatari players looked nervous, there were frequent wrong passes and they were late in closing empty spaces on the field.
On the other hand, Ecuador appeared quite confident from the early minutes. Both Ecuador’s goals this time were bought up by Enner Valencia in the 16th and 31st minutes.
This victory led Ecuador to the top of the 2022 World Cup Group A standings with a score of 3 points.
The match started with Ecuador’s breakthrough. In the 3rd minute, Enner Valencia surprised the home fans. He scored a header goal that took advantage of the Qatar defender’s inadvertence.
Ecuador had celebrated, but then the goal was annulled. Looking at the replay, one of the Ecuador players, Michael Estrada, appeared to be in an offside position when the ball was first bounced into the penalty box.
Qatar looked nervous and couldn’t perform as well as he should. There are too many misfeeds. Player movement also looks clumsy.
Valencia finally really listed his name on the scoreboard with a penalty goal in the 16th minute. A quiet execution into the bottom right corner, the Qatar goalkeeper jumped the wrong way.
The 31st minute, Valencia scored the second goal which also hit Qatar. The host actually has started to find a rhythm, but it seems not optimal.
No additional goals until the end of the first half. Score 0-2 led the players to the locker room.
The game resumed, Qatar looked calmer in the second half. The first 15 minutes went fast. Qatar hasn’t threatened the opponent’s goal yet, but at least they are starting to play better.
Ecuador seemed to change their approach a little in the second half. The visitors tried to hold the ball longer to maintain the advantage. The 65th minute, the score is still 0-2.
Both coaches then made substitutions midway through the second half. Enner Valencia, who scored twice for Ecuador, had to be taken off, possibly to prevent injury.
Entering the final 10 minutes, Qatar continued to try to break down the opponent’s defense. Ecuador waited for a chance to counterattack and occasionally had dangerous chances.
Qatar kept trying, but the Ecuador defense was disciplined. 5 minutes of added time was not enough to score an additional goal. Score 2-0 to win Ecuador. (L/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
