A host team lost their opening game at a World Cup for the first time on Sunday when the 2019 Asian Cup champions fell to Ecuador 2-0 after being outplayed.
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez said. “I hope in the next game they will be prouder.”
While the hosts’ supporters dispersed in large numbers before the game on Sunday, supporters of the winning Ecuador were heard chanting “we want beer” during their World Cup debut victory over Qatar.
The Qatari soccer team’s dismal first-ever World Cup performance was summed up by the second half’s large sections of empty seats, but a boisterous and outnumbered group of Ecuadorians in the stands brought some humour by chanting for beer near the end of the first half.
More than 67,000 fans, the majority of whom were from Qatar, filled the enormous Al Bayt Stadium to watch the opening ceremony, which 12 years after winning the right to host soccer’s biggest event gave the tiny Arab emirate a chance to show off to the world.
A lighthearted intervention came two days after Qatar decided to forbid beer sales at World Cup stadiums. The conservative Islamic country, where access to alcohol is severely restricted, made the late change, and only alcohol-free Bud Zero was sold at the game.
Enner Valencia, the captain of Ecuador, scored both of his team’s goals in the first half of a one-sided match that turned out to be a damage-control exercise for Qatar on one of the biggest nights in the country’s history. Valencia was replaced in the 77th minute due to discomfort in his knee and ankle.
Enner Valencia said: “This is just the start of the World Cup,”. “We have to keep dreaming.”
Sanchez stood helpless in his technical area, the home crowd quieted, and Qatar’s defensive frailties were repeatedly exposed. Ecuador had no trouble maintaining the lead. Many left before the end of the first half. Thousands of seats were empty as the game’s fourth quarter began.
Sanchez said: I wouldn’t say we were naïve. I would say this was about nervousness … maybe we had too many doubts.
At last Sanchez also said: “We have to forget about the pressure and be more competitive,” .”We can do it.”
With games remaining against Senegal and the Netherlands, Qatar will need more than just luck to avoid becoming the only host nation to lose in the World Cup group stage.
News Source: Source