World Cup 2022: Qatar beaten by Ecuador in first tournament game
World Cup hosts Qatar were easily beaten 2-0 by Ecuador in the opening game of the 2022 tournament.
The host team failed to muster a shot on target in the entire match and have become the first host side in the World Cup’s history to lose their opening game.
The day started with optimism but by the end of the 90 minutes, it was a full-on nightmare for players and fans. It was one of the worst 90 minutes of football you might ever see.
Qatar – the Asian champions – have an experienced squad with five players earning 100 caps or more.
“Obviously this is not what we were hoping,” said Sanchez afterwards. “Now it is our turn to analyse this match, focus and try to forget about today.
“There are no excuses. Congratulations to Ecuador who deserved to win. There is a lot of room for improvement. We did not play at our best level. Maybe the responsibility or nerves took the best of us.
“A terrible start, this determines the rest of the match. We have to forget about the pressure.”
