Enner Valencia ends the luck of the hostess

Enner Valencia ends the luck of the hostess

Ecuador adds its first three points after beating Qatar with a brace from the Fenerbahçe striker

MADRID, 20 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ecuadorian team has conquered this Sunday the first victory of the World Cup in Qatar after beating the hosts in the opening match (0-2) with a brace from striker Enner Valencia, the true protagonist of a match in which he retired injured and in which he ended the fortune that until now always accompanied the organizing country.

The host team had never lost in an opening match in previous editions of the World Cup, but the 'Tri' took it upon themselves to challenge the statistics with their man of reference, an Enner Valencia who has scored the last five goals of his country in World Cups. In just half an hour, the Fenerbahçe striker left the match sentenced.

After the spectacle of color and fireworks at the opening ceremony, enlivened by singers like the member of BTS Jungkook, the ball finally started rolling in the first World Cup in the Arab world, and just two minutes later the first controversy of the tournament broke out. .

In a bad start by the Qatari goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb, the Ecuadorian Michael Estrada recovered the ball so that Enner Valencia, after the jumbled play, put it in the back of the goal. However, the semi-automatic VAR system alerted Italian referee Daniele Orsato that Estrada's leg was offside - as there was only one defender behind the goalkeeper - and he disallowed the goal.

The blow did not affect, however, the spirit of the 'Tri', who after the first quarter of an hour had the opportunity to take the lead again when the goalkeeper of the Asian team knocked down Valencia in the area and the referee awarded a penalty. The Fenerbahçe forward, with mettle, executed a low shot to the left of Al Sheeb to make it 0-1 (min.16).

Valencia's hunger did not abate and they still had time to increase the score before the break, while Gustavo Alfaro's men took control of the duel. After a great cross from Ayrton Preciado, he headed into the net to unleash madness among the Ecuadorian fans present at the Al Bayt de Jor stadium (min.31).

Only an action at the end of the first half, in which he hurt his right knee while trying to steal a ball, stopped the 'Tricolor' attacker, who still held out for 77 minutes on the field, which he had to leave limping .

The Qatar of the Spanish Félix Sánchez, except for a clear chance by Almoez Ali in the discount of the first part, hardly worried Galíndez, an exceptional witness who did not have to act in the second 45 minutes and who only saw how Muntari, in The only opportunity for the Qataris, he finished off in the 86th over the goal.

--RESULT: QATAR, 0 - ECUADOR, 2 (0-2, at halftime).

CATAR: Al Sheeb; Al-Rawi, Khoukhi, Hassan; Pedro Miguel, Hatem, Boudiaf, Al Haydos (Waad, min. 72), Homam Ahmed; Almoez Ali (Muntari, min. 72) and Akram Afif.

ECUADOR: Galindez; Preciado, Torres, Hincapié, Estupiñán; Ibarra (Sarmiento, min.68), Méndez, Moisés Caicedo (Franco, min.90), Silver; Estrada (Kevin Rodríguez, min.90) and Enner Valencia (Cifuente, min.77).

0-1, min.16: Ender Valencia, the penalty.

0-2, min. 31: Ender Valencia.

--REFEREE: Daniele Orsato (ITA). He admonished Al Sheeb (min.15), Almoez Ali (min.22), Karim Boudiaf (min.36) and Akram Afif (min.78) by Qatar and Moisés Caicedo (min.29) and Jhegson Méndez (min.56) by Ecuador.

--ESTADIO: Al Bayt.