2022 FIFA World Cup host Qatar has broken a lot of records on the way to the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday as the smallest country to ever host the World Cup, the first World Cup in the middle east and the desert, as well as the most expensive World Cup, ever hosted.
The Middle Eastern country was courted with a lot of controversy in the build-up to the tournament. Still, it didn’t stop an exciting and colorful opening ceremony that had American entertainer Morgan Freeman and musicians display their vocal quality and performance and showcase the Qatari culture.
The game was the first between countries since their friendly match in 2018, in which Qatar won 4-3. However, the opener brought another history but one that they would not be proud of as they became the first host country to lose their opening game of the FIFA World Cup in history.
The gulf in class and quality was evident from the first minute as Ecuador opened the scoring through Enner Valencia in the fourth minute of the game, which was eventually ruled out for offside by the VAR and the automated offside technology in the stadium.
However, they were not to be denied minutes later when the referee pointed to the spot after he was brought down in the box by the Qatar goalkeeper.
Enner Valencia converted the penalty in the sixteenth minute of the game. The Fenerbache striker doubled the advantage fifteen minutes later with a header.
The second half saw a better display from the hosts, but they didn’t get clear-cut chances to beat the Ecuadorians. The game ended 2-0, leaving the hosts with no choice but to win their next game against Senegal to avoid an early exit.
The competition gets busier on Monday with three games available as England play Iran, Senegal faces the Netherlands, and Wales battle the USA.
Daniel Ademiju Idowu