Qatar VS Ecuador, FIFA World Cup 2022

Qatar VS Ecuador / FIFA World Cup 2022 Match Summary

In the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ecuador easily defeated hosts Qatar. Thanks to 2 stunning goals from Enner Valencia in the 1^st half. The result was a straightforward 2-0 victory for Ecuador. Through a dubious VAR review, Valencia’s early header was disallowed for a tenuous offside call against teammate Michael Estrada. But he didn’t have to wait long to rejoice after winning & calmly scoring a penalty in the 16^th minute. The Ecuadorian captain became the 1^st player in his nation’s history to score 4 goals in the World Cup finals. He added the 5^th goal just after the halfway point by heading in a gorgeous right-wing cross from Angelo Preciado.

Almoez Ali, Qatar’s joint-leading scorer, will regret missing a great opportunity just before halftime. Felix Sanchez’s team fell far short of the low-key rising pre-game expectations as they were utterly outplayed. When Saad Al-Sheeb failed to block a corner kick & Valencia headed the ball into an open net, the goalkeeper was saved by an early VAR intervention. Sadly, the No 1 player of Qatar did not capitalize on the opportunity when, shortly after, he clumsily tackled Valencia in the area, forcing referee Daniele Orsato to call a foul after the Ecuador striker had sprinted onto Estrada’s expertly weighted through-ball.

Enner Valencia, The Showstopper

From the ensuing penalty, Valencia patiently waited to send Al-Sheeb the wrong way, & his 2^nd goal, which he arrowed into the bottom left corner, was equally clinical. The main worry for Ecuador manager Gustavo Alfaro came as the game’s hero, Valencia, walked out with a knee injury 15 minutes from time. Estrada then missed his chance as the goal his work effort merited beckoned following some brilliant work by Gonzalo Plata. Mohammed Muntari, a substitute, rippled the top of the net with a late attempt. But Qatar had very nothing to cheer about.

Ecuador accomplished its goal with an intensity Qatar could not match. Ecuador then capped things off with an experience of the highest level that their opponents didn’t have. It’s back to the drawing board for the hosts.

Qatar vs Ecuador / Interesting Facts

The 22^nd World Cup will take place in 2022. 92 years after the 1^st 1 in Uruguay (1930). It’s the 7^th & the last game in a 32-team format that was started in France in 1998. After Uruguay in 1930 & Italy in 1934, Qatar is the 3^rd country to host the World Cup in its inaugural year.

Each of Ecuador’s last 5 World Cup goals has been scored by Enner Valencia. Only Eusébio (1966, Portugal), Paolo Rossi (1982, Italy), & Oleg Salenko (1994, Russia) have achieved greater national success (6 times in a row each). Enner Valencia (5/10) has the best & incredible shooting conversion rate of any player with at least 5 goals in the World Cup, scoring on 50% of his shots.

Qatar VS Ecuador / FIFA World Cup 2022 / Final Score & Result