Valencia-inspired Ecuador thump hosts Qatar in FIFA WC Opener

DOHA: Ecuador skipper and forward Enner Valencia struck twice to power his side to an emphatic 2-0 victory over Qatar in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Ecuador showcased their domination over Qatar right from the start as their forward Valencia netted the ball just three minutes into the game following a terrible mistake by Saad Al Sheeb as the latter failed to punch away the ball from danger.

The goal, however, was ruled out for offside as VAR showed Valencia invading the line as he converted Felix Torre’s scuffed overhead kick.

Qatar goalkeeper Al Sheeb then received a yellow card for bringing down Valencia in the penalty area and hence the referee awarded a penalty to the latter.

Valencia, consequently, held his composure calm to slot his effort into the bottom-right corner and powered Ecuador to get off the mark in just the 16th minute.

Despite taking an early lead, Ecuador continued to put Qatar’s defences to the test. In the 29th minute, Torre got the closest to adding another goal but he hooked the ball over the top.

A couple of minutes later, however, Valencia doubled Ecuador’s lead over Qatar with a perfect header into the bottom-left corner.

Both sides continued their search for a goal till the conclusion of the first half but the scoreboard remained intact at 2-0 in Ecuador’s favour.

Ecuador endured a massive setback in the 77th minute when their key forward Valencia walked off the field due to a knee injury.

Qatar, on the other hand, did well in the second half to deny any further damage and even came close to scoring a consolation goal in the 86th minute when Mohammad Muntari latched over the ball over the top and fired it just over the bar.

Following a defeat in the opening match, Qatar became the first host nation to lose their first match of the FIFA World Cup.

The action-filled matches of the FIFA World Cup are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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