World Cup 2022: Qatar opens host duties with loss to Ecuador

AL KHOR, Qatar — The large swathes of empty seats in the second half summed up the Qatar soccer team’s disappointing start to its first ever World Cup.

The night started with more than 67,000 mostly Qatari fans filling Al Bayt Stadium, enjoying an opening ceremony that showcased the tiny Arab emirate to a global audience 12 years after winning the right to host soccer’s biggest event.

It ended with Qatar’s overmatched team trudging off the field, its unwanted place in soccer history secure and with many of its dismayed fans having long disappeared. The tournament opened Sunday with Qatar getting outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Ecuador, ensuring a host team lost its opening game for the first time at a World Cup.

“I would say we felt bad [for our supporters],” Qatar coach Felix Sanchez said. “I hope in the next game they will be prouder.”

Ecuador captain Enner Valencia scored both goals in the first half of a one-sided game that wound up being a damage-limitation exercise for Qatar on one of the biggest nights in the nation’s history.

“This is just the start of the World Cup,“ said the 33-year-old Valencia, who has now scored Ecuador’s last five goals at the World Cup, including three in 2014. “We have to keep dreaming.”

Qatar had five shots in the match and none of them were on target. The team had only two touches inside the opposition penalty area. Put simply, Ecuador was just too good for a team only playing at the World Cup because it is the host.

“I wouldn’t say we were naive,” Sanchez said. “I would say this was about nervousness ... maybe we had too many doubts.”

Ecuador took the lead in the 16th minute when Valencia — running onto a through-ball — was tripped by Saad Alsheeb after rounding the goalkeeper, who was given a yello card for the challenge. Valencia converted the ensuing penalty kick into the bottom corner.

The 33-year-old striker then added his second in the 33rd minute by heading in a right-wing cross from Angelo Preciado.

With Qatar’s passes often going astray and its defensive raggedness repeatedly exposed, Ecuador had no problem holding onto its lead as Sanchez stood helpless in his technical area and the home fans fell quiet. Many didn’t return for the second half. And heading into the final quarter of the game, thousands of seats were empty.

It marked a huge contrast to a few hours earlier.

The match took place after a colorful 30-minute opening ceremony — fronted by Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman and attended by powerful dignitaries including Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

In a party-like atmosphere, camels and Arabian horses lined the entrance to the stadium, a Bedouin tent-inspired venue located in the rather isolated surrounds of the rural town of Al Khor, north of Doha.

And the seven-act opening ceremony lived up to its billing, the highlight being when Freeman extended one yellow-gloved hand to a FIFA World Cup ambassador suffering from a rare spinal disorder in an image representing inclusion in a country facing international criticism over its human-rights record.

After this display, Qatar will need more than just luck to avoid joining South Africa as being the only host nation to fail to get out of the group stage at the World Cup. “We have to forget about the pressure and be more competitive,” Sanchez said. “We can do it.”

INJURIES

Two of the best players in the world were ruled out of the tournament with injuries before it even began. France striker Karim Benzema, the Ballon d’Or winner, is out after hurting his left thigh during training on Saturday. Senegal forward Sadio Mane, runner-up to Benzema in voting for world player of the year, is out with a leg injury he picked up last week while playing for Bayern Munich.

Previously, France midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante were ruled out, as was Germany striker Timo Werner. Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku and South Korea captain Son Heung-min arrived in Qatar with lingering injuries.

MONDAY'S GAMES

The first full day of competition Monday includes a Group B match between heavily-favored England against Iran at Khalifa International Stadium, and the Netherlands against Senegal at Al Thumama Stadium in Group A.

England is one of the favorites and was a semifinalist four years ago in Russia, plus a runner-up at last year’s European Championship. It came to Qatar winless in their last six games, hoping their strong track record in recent major tournaments turns the team around.