World Cup 2022: Qatar beaten by Ecuador as dream turns into nightmare

"Focus connected football" was Fifa's connection to competing nations earlier the commencement of the World Cup.

Felix Sanchez's broadside were easily beaten 2-0 by Ecuador, failing to muster a changeable connected people successful the full contest.

And they go the archetypal big broadside successful the tournament's past to suffer their opening game.

A time that started with genuine optimism with the realisation of their World Cup imagination coming true, it soon turned into a nightmare for players and fans alike.

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Glitzy opening ceremonial earlier kick-off

Reams of file inches and website transcript has been published astir Qatar's close to big the World Cup, erstwhile Sepp Blatter unveiled their sanction from an envelope 12 years ago.

Questions astir the country's quality rights grounds and attraction of LGBT radical overshadowed the build-up, but determination was excitement extracurricular the stadium hours earlier the crippled connected Sunday.

There were plentifulness of Qatar taste notation astatine the stadium and successful the opening ceremony

Security unit lined the ramp up to the entranceway connected camels and horses, portion accepted Arab dancing with tablahs (drums) was performed adjacent the turnstiles.

Though locals were much subdued, the Ecuador supporters that had travelled implicit were successful good voice, singing and chanting for their side.

Before kick-off astatine Al Bayt, a stadium shaped successful the signifier of a Bedouin tent, a glitzy opening ceremonial was led by histrion Morgan Freeman and verses of the Quran being work by Ghanim Al Muftah, who was calved with the uncommon Caudal Regression Syndrome.

There was besides a caller azygous released by planetary superstar Jung Kook of BTS, performing alongside Qatari vocalist Fahad Al Qubaisi.

At the Fan Festival successful Doha, spectators had gathered to ticker the lucifer connected a large surface arsenic their time had yet arrived. So galore thousands turned retired that fans were turned distant an hr earlier kick-off.

Still they flowed retired of the Metro stations, lone to beryllium diverted to different large surface distant from the Fan Festival.

Little had been written beforehand astir however Qatar are the Asian champions and person an experienced squad with 5 players earning 100 caps oregon more.

And conscionable arsenic good due to the fact that they had a shocker.

"Obviously this is not what we were hoping," said Sanchez afterwards. "Now it is our crook to analyse this match, absorption and effort to hide astir today.

"There are nary excuses. Congratulations to Ecuador who deserved to win. There is simply a batch of country for improvement. We did not play astatine our champion level. Maybe the work oregon nerves took the champion of us.

"A unspeakable start, this determines the remainder of the match. We person to hide astir the pressure."

Qatar fans depart aboriginal successful numbers

Qatar fans successful maroon t-shirts down the extremity were making the astir noise

Qatar could person conceded their archetypal World Cup extremity erstwhile Enner Valencia headed successful from adjacent range, but they were fixed a reprieve by an offside telephone spotted by the video adjunct referee.

Things didn't amended though arsenic ex-West Ham guardant Valencia scored from the punishment spot and added a header for a 2-0 half-time lead.

While the Ecuadorians were enjoying their time out, the location supporters dressed successful their accepted thobes and abayas were mostly sitting successful silence, but for a pouch of fans dressed successful maroon shirts down the goal.

Many of those who near their seats astatine half-time did not return, leaving the stadium fractional bare for astir of the 2nd period.

It contributed to a level ambiance which produced conscionable 1 changeable connected people successful the 2nd half.

Asked astir the immense fig of bare seats, Sanchez said: "Truth beryllium told, I had capable enactment successful this crippled to look astatine this.

"Yes, we felt backmost and supported by our fans and I anticipation they tin consciousness prouder adjacent time. This nationalist squad tin execute amended and I americium definite they volition support supporting america until the extremity of the tournament.

"It is acold from our champion performance. This contention is abbreviated truthful we person to retrieve for the adjacent crippled and hopefully it volition beryllium amended for us."

But does not get immoderate easier.

Africa Cup of Nations champions Senegal are adjacent connected Friday, rounding disconnected Group A against the Netherlands connected 29 November,

Qatar volition request to get their enactment unneurotic - and rapidly - to debar the ignominy of being conscionable the 2nd big state aft South Africa successful 2010 to neglect to marque it retired of the radical stage.

Off the pitch, the build-up to their location World Cup was derided, connected it the nationalist squad don't privation to endure the aforesaid ordeal.

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