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Ecuador put in a good performance to secure a comfortable 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the FIFA World Cup on Sunday, November 20.
Qatar entered this game on the back of one win, two draws, and two losses in their last five games across competitions, including friendlies. The visitors, on the other hand, seemed to be in a much better situation. They arrived for this game on the back of four goalless draws and one 1-0 win.
Due to this, they were the narrow favorites to win.
The game began with quick play from Ecuador, who were keen to race into an early lead to take control of the game. There was drama just five minutes into the start of the FIFA World Cup as the visitors had a goal disallowed under confusing circumstances. However, replays shown few minutes after the incident confirmed there was an offside as a player was beyond the Qatari goalkeeper.
Qatar and Ecuador shared the ball 46% to 54% respectively. However, the visitors were the only side to manage shots on goal as they hit the target twice in three tries. After having a goal disallowed, captain Enner Valencia made no mistake from the spot to make it 1-0 after 16 minutes. He made it a brace with a well-taken goal just 15 minutes later to make it 2-0.
Ecuador carried a healthy two-goal lead over Qatar heading into the break in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup.
The second half was a tightly-contested affair as there was hardly anything to split the two teams in terms of possession. Ecuador kept the ball for 52% of the time while the hosts Qatar had it 48% of the time. Only one shot on target was attempted between the two sides as the visitors saw their shot saved. Both managers made multiple changes to rotate their sides.
However, the second period did not produce much goalmouth action as the first game of this edition of the World Cup ended in a victory for Ecuador. They kept their composure to secure a 2-0 win over hosts Qatar.
On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5. Enner Valencia's disallowed goal for Ecuador in the first half
Any captain's dream is to contribute towards a winning cause for their team, especially when it is the opening game of the World Cup. Captain Enner Valencia seemed to do just that for Ecuador as he scored just five minutes into the game to hand his team a dream start. However, the goal was disallowed, causing much confusion among fans.
Ecuador's player appeared to have a foot beyond Qatari goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb, which may have been overlooked initially by several fans. The fact that the VAR replay showing the offside was delayed by a few minutes did not help the situation. However, replays later showed the player was clearly offside and the decision was correct.
#4. Qatar's defense in shambles after being toyed around with by Ecuador
Despite the scoreline reading 2-0 to Ecuador, the opener of the World Cup was a much more one-sided affair than it appears. Several Qatari players struggled to keep up with the visitors' passing moves and combination play in the final third, resulting in some embarrassing errors.
Pedro Miguel, Homam Ahmed, and custodian Saad Al Sheeb were all culprits as they made silly errors, allowing Ecuador to retain possession or win the ball. This allowed the visitors to get into a rhythm in the first period and kill the game with the two opportunities they got.
#3. Captain Enner Valencia rises to the occasion for Ecuador
Enner Valencia was one of the names to look out for as West Ham United brought him to the Premier League midway through the 2010s. He also had a loan spell with Everton during his time in England.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to settle in and find his groove and departed for Mexico soon after.
Valencia, however, has been a key member of his national team. Despite having injury troubles in the last few months, he ensured he was with the squad as they qualified for the World Cup. He has scored 37 goals for his country in 75 appearances, including five goals in four World Cup games.
He was rightly named player-of-the-match for his brace in tonight's game.
#2. Qatar have a long way to go before they can compete at the highest level
As hosts, it is up for debate what kind of a job Qatar are doing, or have done, to secure the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, it is clear as day that they have a long way to go before going toe-to-toe with some of the world's best teams.
Six months ago, the Qatari team played a friendly against Linfield FC, a team from Northern Ireland's first division, in a friendly game. They lost 1-0. Qatar also scraped past 106th-ranked India 1-0, before being held to a 0-0 draw, both in the World Cup qualifiers.
#1. This World Cup is going to be a mixed experience for fans worldwide
While some fans enjoyed the fact that yet another edition of the FIFA World Cup got underway, several were left bewildered and torn between morality and entertainment. The hosts' bid to host the World Cup was confirmed in 2010 and they have been putting in the groundwork since, ensuring the world that it would be an inclusive event.
However, several issues have unfolded over the last day, including the Qatari government's last-minute decision to ban alcohol from the event altogether. Their backtracking rubbed many fans and pundits the wrong way as the hosts were openly criticized worldwide.
There was another instance of a bizarre claim by political affairs expert Amjad Taha, stating that his country bribed eight Ecuadorian players to lose the game 1-0 in the second half. Fortunately, this did not happen, but with the score 0-0 at half-time things could have gone sour very quickly had it materialized.
