Cape Town - Welcome to the opening day of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. IOL Sport will bring you all the live updates on match days via our Live Blog!
FULLTIME! QATAR 0 ECUADOR 2
That’s three points for Ecuador and an unwanted record for Qatar, as they become the first hosts in World Cup history to lose their opening match.
Enner Valencia, who eventually hobbled off in the second half with what looked like a knee injury, scored a brace in the first half to start off their campaign with a bang.
A brilliant display 👏@LaTri | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/ASA9MkfeTj
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 20, 2022
80’ UPDATE - QATAR 0 ECUADOR 2
This second half, ne #ECUQAT pic.twitter.com/364jxXYEr6
10 minutes to go and we’re still waiting for the host to record a shot on target. History beckons now, as Qatar could become the first nation to lose a World Cup opening match.
Even Bafana Bafana didn’t lose ... and we are the benchmark for useless.
OH DEAR ...
Swathes of empty seats as second half restarts. There were many home fans seen leaving at half-time.
61’ - PEDRO GOES CLOSE FOR QATAR ...
We were all falling asleep in the second half, before Pedro headed wide. The home side seems to have rocked up for the World Cup now ... It’s only taken them an hour.
46’ - WE’RE BACK ...
No changes at halftime for either side. Enner Valencia is back out on the park. His team in Turkey, Fenerbahce, saw the need to tweet this after his excellent first stanza against Qatar.
😎 @EnnerValencia14 #QatarWorldCup2022 pic.twitter.com/zIBZtnsf2y
— Fenerbahçe SK (@Fenerbahce) November 20, 2022
HALFTIME! Qatar 0 Ecuador 2
Ecuador look really comfortable. In fact, their only concern is probably whether to take off captain Enner Valencia, who seems to be struggling with a knee injury.
I would take him off despite scoring both goals in the first half. I can’t see Qatar coming back here, even though they had a great chance to score just before the break.
Not even VAR or a Fergie hair-dryer can save them today ...
⏱ 3’ Denied by VAR for offside.
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) November 20, 2022
⏱ 16’ Scores from the penalty spot.
Enner Valencia opens the scoring in Qatar with a well-taken penalty.
📺 Stream #FIFAWorldCup live: https://t.co/Tg69y0m5GD pic.twitter.com/NU8DiiircM
45’ - QATAR DON’T LOOK LIKE SCORING ...
Even Bafana Bafana scored in their World Cup opener ...
Not the best start for the hosts! 😰 pic.twitter.com/iP03ZJ3wQS
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 20, 2022
A gentle reminder from the magazine editor ...
Enner Valencia today: pic.twitter.com/y9uq86735W
— EPL Bible (@EPLBible) November 20, 2022
31’ - IT’S 2-0 ECUADOR! THAT MAN VALENCIA AGAIN!
Qatar’s defending is nowhere, as an unmarked Enner Valencia head the ball home with nobody close to try and put him off. It could be a loooooong night for Qatar now.
Enner Valencia today: pic.twitter.com/y9uq86735W
— EPL Bible (@EPLBible) November 20, 2022
THE ECUADOR FANS ENJOYED THAT ONE ...
🔥 Qatar 0-1 Ecuador!
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 20, 2022
🇪![CDATA[]]>🇨 These Ecuador fans react to (eventually) taking the lead against Qatar at the talkSPORT FanZone! #FIFAWorldCup #TSWorldCup pic.twitter.com/xihFX7sAd5
15‘ - PENALTY ECUADOR! THIS TIME NO DOUBTING THE GOAL,1-0!
Enner Valencia is brought down in the penalty by the Qatar goalkeeper. He then steps up and coolly slots the ball home to open the scoring at this World Cup.
Valencia gets his goal!! 🇪![CDATA[]]>🇨
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 20, 2022
JUDGE FOR YOURSELF ... OFFSIDE OF NOT?
5 ‘ - GOAL ECUADOR! NO, DISALLOWED!
Captain Enner Valencia thinks he scored the first goal of the 2022 World Cup, but it’s disallowed for offside by VAR. It looked mighty close! Shambolic defending by the hosts - but they get away with it.
❌ NO GOAL - The header is disallowed after a VAR check. #Qatar2022 | #FIFAWorldCup https://t.co/KvkfJ4iWrX
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 20, 2022
18:00: We have kickoff! World Cup gets underway with stakes high for host Qatar
The World Cup kicked off in Qatar on Sunday with the hosts taking on Equador after the opening ceremony.
Here’s how 🇶🇦 and 🇪🇨 line-up today!#Qatar2022 | #FIFAWorldCup
17:45 (15 minutes to kickoff): Bafana Bahana draw with Angola while rest of the planet gets ready for World Cup
While the rest of the world was getting ready for the World Cup, Bafana Bafana and Angola played out a one-all draw in their friendly international at Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela on Sunday.
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) November 20, 2022
15:00 (Three hours to kickoff!): WATCH: 5 long-range goals from 2022 to get you in the mood for the World Cup in Qatar
To prepare the fans for the spectacular goals to come, at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, IOL Sport writer Mihlali Baleka looks at five long-range goals that deserve a nomination for the Fifa Puskas Award.
14:00 (Four hours to kickoff): Can the football on the pitch ‘sportswash’ the controversies off it?
“The World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday in a high-stakes event for the nation which has faced a barrage of criticism and staked its reputation on delivering a smooth tournament, the first held in the Middle East and most expensive in history.”
10:00 - Opening ceremony set to deliver fireworks and taste of the Middle East ...
Here's what you need to know about the opening ceremony ahead of the opening match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
09:00 - Another superstar ruled out of the tournament ...
France's hopes of successfully defending the World Cup were dealt a huge blow late on Saturday as Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema was ruled out of the tournament in Qatar.
OPENING MATCH (Group A)
Sunday, November 20: Qatar v Ecuador - 18:00
It will be a baptism of fire for Qatar, who because of their host status, have qualified automatically for the 2022 World Cup. They will make their World Cup debut with Spanish coach Felix Sanchez Bas guiding their fortunes.
Qatar are looming as soon-to-be history-makers as the host nation has never lost an opening match since 2006.
Ecuador will make their return to the World Cup finals after an eight-year absence. Their best result was a Round of 16 appearance, in 2006.
Clean sheets have been the theme for Gustavo Alfaro's men in their warm-up period too, as Ecuador have remarkably recorded six shut-outs from six games since the start of June.
On the flip side, they have only scored twice in six matches after four ended goalless.
Players to watch:
Qatar: Saad Al Sheeb (goalkeeper), Abdelkarim Hassan (left-back), Hassan Al-Haydos (striker).
Ecuador: Piero Hincapie (defender), Pervis Estupinan (defender), Moises Caicedo (midfielder).
Head-to-head record:
The teams have played against each other twice, with both teams recording a victory.
IOL Sport