Qatar became the first ever Fifa World Cup hosts to lose the opening match in the tournament’s history after Ecuador defeated Qatar 2-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The month of football has finally dawned upon us, with the action on the pitch kicking off following a glittering opening ceremony in Al Khor, Qatar on Sunday afternoon.
The curtain was drawn on the global spectacle with American film star Morgan Freeman, Bts singer Jung Kook and Qatari YouTuber Al Muftah all among the performers in the seven-act programme.
Once the opening whistle was blown, the hosts were blown away by the quality of the South Americans — with an early goal from Ecuador’s captain and record goalscorer Enner Valencia disallowed for offside inside six minutes.
Valencia got his goal from the penalty spot ten minutes later and then grabbed another before the half ended to send shockwaves through the host nation.
Qatar will be disappointed to be beaten in the manner that they were, with not a single shot on target in the game. This was the first time a team failed to register an attempt on goal in the World Cup since the USA at the Brazil edition in 1994.
The tournament debutants will look to bounce back in the second two group stage rounds with fixtures against Senegal and Netherlands awaiting them.
In Monday’s action England take on Iran in a highly anticipated fixture for Gareth Southgate’s 2018 semi-finalists while African champions Senegal are also in action against Virgil Van Dijk’s Netherlands. USA takes on Wales in the late game.