Match Review: Qatar vs Ecuador (0–2)
Welcome to my latest mini series, a Match Review series where I’m going to take a look at the happenings of every (yes, every. I worry for my poor eyes.) match of the World Cup. Let’s get right into it with yesterday’s inaugural match of FIFA World Cup 2022.
Qatar got off to a terrible start in the tournament they organised, as Felix Sanchez’s men were completely toothless against a far superior Ecuador side. Ecuador have been pretty decent these past few months, and I feel like I had underestimated their ability to perform on such a big stage. Their youthful side utterly ran the show in the opening match, with captain Enner Valencia putting on a masterclass for his side. 2 goals for the Fenerbahce striker put the game to rest in the first half, and now I regret saying Qatar would finish 2nd in this group. I think Ecuador will easily finish 2nd instead of Qatar, who will finish rock bottom to save some grace for Senegal. Anyways, back to the match.
The match began with a false start, as Ecuador thought they had taken the lead within 3 minutes, after an acrobatic pass was headed in by Valencia, before the stunning goal was ruled out due to an offside in the build-up. Nevertheless, Ecuador continued to control the game, before a foul on Valencia allowed him to score a penalty (which coincidentally is the first time the first goal at a World Cup is from the spot kick). Qatar faded away even more after that setback, which allowed Ecuador to consolidate their lead with another Valencia header, which stood this time. The remainder of the match was a drab affair, with neither side doing much, although it was clear to see Ecuador were cruising to a victory. In the end, this historic victory brought a dramatic opening day to a fitting end, despite the game leaving questions on Qatar’s capabilities to perform in this tournament.
That’s all for this not so small summary and review of yesterday’s match, do look forward to my next article on England vs Iran, Senegal vs Netherlands and Wales vs USA coming out TODAY (and tomorrow for the last match). Adios!
