Ecuador vs qatar

Quite simple really after one game! But Ecuador top Group A, with two goals to their name. Could they rue not running up a few more in the 'goals scored' column? We'll soon see. Next up for Ecuador is the Netherlands, on Friday at 4pm (UK time) at the Khalifa International Stadium. Qatar now sit bottom of the pile and on paper, the challenges only get tougher from here on out. It's Senegal next, the reigning African Cup of Nations champions. They play on Friday, at 1pm (UK time) at the Al Thumama Stadium. The Netherlands and Senegal meet tomorrow at 4pm, while Group B also gets under way, featuring England, Iran, Wales and the United States. So, what did The Athletic learn from this opening game to the 2022 World Cup? Mark Carey, Liam Tharme and Laurie Whitwell have dissected the afternoon's action, covering Valencia's starring role, Qatar's poor first half, hints of a Saudi World Cup and of course, a VAR explanation too (Hopefully we won't have too many more of those this tournament, a boy can dream...). Qatar 0-2 Ecuador Job done for Gustavo Alfaro's team. All the action was in the first half, where we had VAR drama, a penalty, two goals and a bit more excitement. Second half was a lot more subdued. A bit stop start, with only fleeting thrills to feast on. But this was Ecuador's night. They cruised to the finale and were a class apart from Qatar. A sizeable gulf in quality that does not bode well for the rest of the host's group stage games. Enner Valencia was the star m...

Qatar and Ecuador kicked off the 2022 FIFA World Cup in style! Ecuador showed urgency and notched a penalty kick goal by Enner Valencia in the 16th minute. Valencia wasn’t done there, as he scored his second goal in the 31st minute. Both teams had chances in the second half but the score would stand at 2-0 in favor of Ecuador.

World Cup hosts Qatar were humbled by Ecuador on Sunday in the tournament opener as an Enner Valencia brace lifted Gustavo Alfaro's squad to a deserved 2-0 victory. The win sees the South Americans lead Group A with three points ( The match began with controversy with Ecuador finding the back of the net on a wild little sequence in the box, but VAR shockingly called an offside that seemed very harsh, yet it was backed up by the recently introduced automated offside technology. But just 10 minutes later, Ecuador would finally get their opener on a well-deserved penalty kick. Valencia was taken down in the box and cooly finished the spot kick for the 1-0 lead. He would add his second before the break with a brilliant, powerful header to the bottom left corner of the goal to all but wrap up the win. ENNER VALENCIA DOES IT AGAIN Qatar, meanwhile, showed next to nothing during their first World Cup match in the history of their program. The reigning champions of Asia barely looked like a threat to create a chance, let alone score, putting them in a difficult spot moving forward. CBS Sports has a brand new daily soccer podcast, covering everything you need to know about the beautiful game. "The credit goes to the players because of their attitude, because of their commitment, because of their form, because of their intent," Ecuador coach Gustavo Alfaro said after the match. "Because we suffered a punch when the game started when they ruled the goal out for offside. "We continued...

Just three minutes into the opening match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ecuador appeared to have gone in front, shocking home fans as host nation Qatar seemed to be trailing already. Had Enner Valencia's strike counted, multiple sources suggested it would have been the fastest goal ever in a World Cup opening match. Instead, confusion reigned, as there was a VAR check and, eventually, match official Daniele Orsato signaled the goal would be ruled out for offside. The goal was a messy one, with the Qatar goalkeeper having come off his line for a punch, and fans struggled to understand how the strike could be chalked off. The Sporting News brings you a full explanation of why it was disallowed, and where the confusion lay, as well as questions that remain about the call. MORE: Why was Ecuador goal vs. Qatar disallowed by VAR? While Ecuador fans celebrated the opening goal against Qatar after just three minutes, their hearts were wrenched out of their chests after VAR chalked it off. It was disallowed for offside, and fans were scrambling to figure out why that was the case. The answer came about 10 minutes later, as FIFA's new semi-automated offside technology was shown on the broadcast. The offside call was on striker Michael Estrada, who was in the vicinity as Pervis Estupinan challenged with Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb. Estrada's leg was just a few inches offside, as Estupinan headed the ball, as shown by the semi-automated offside replay. This is how close the offside r...

What Ecuador did was very, very smart. They had gone through this last six games stretch where they only scored two goals in the last six leading up to this game and scored two goals in a 4-3-3 formation, and it wasn't working. Enner Valencia plays for his club team, Fernabace, in a 4-4-2, a two-striker formation. He's better with a strike partner, and they had that Sunday night, and it made a big difference. I don't know that Qatar was ready for it. Qatar might have been more ready for a 4-3-3, and it didn't work. "FIFA World Cup Now" crew discusses their Golden Boot and overall World Cup champion predictions. 2. Kljestan: Qatar got bullied They were second-best. Ecuador overwhelmed them from the first minute of the game. Every set piece they had, they just dropped it in the box, and they were just better. They were winning first balls, they were winning second balls. Physically, Ecuador bossed the game in the second half. They started passing around them, they were playing in their half. They bossed the game. That's all it was. Of course, Enner Valenci gets the goals, and he gets the credit, but it was a really good team performance. 3. Barton: Ecuador's stars showed up I'm not saying Valencia is going to be a superstar because obviously we know about him, but he's made an impact straight away. They needed goals. Sacha Kljestan, Jimmy Conrad, and Warren Barton preview the USMNT's opening match against Wales. Ecuador keep clean sheets and do that well, but they needed to ...

Qatar face Ecuador in Group A. The Qataris are playing in their first-ever World Cup but have earned some experience over the last several years, playing in the Copa America and the Gold Cup. Ecuador are the surprise of South America with their fourth-place finish, earning a spot over the likes of Colombia and Chile, with Gustavo Alfaro's team looking like a legit threat to escape the group. They are joined by the Netherlands and Senegal, who play on Monday. Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more: Sorry! There was an error processing your subscription. How to watch and odds • Date: Sunday, Nov. 20 | Time: 11 a.m. ET • Location: Al Bayt Stadium -- Al-Khor, Qatar • TV: FS1 and Telemundo | Live stream: • Odds: Qatar +230; Draw +225; Ecuador +123 (via Caesars Sportsbook) • Live updates: Craving more World Cup coverage? Listen below and follow House of Champions , a daily CBS Sports soccer podcast, bringing you top-notch analysis, commentary, picks and more during the big games in Qatar. Storylines Qatar: There is so much momentum and hype around this team for their first time in the tournament, and it's important to note that they have played meaningful games. They participated in the 2019 Copa America, they were semifinalists at the 2021 Gold Cup, and they have a manager in Felix Sanchez who is impressive. The 46-year-old boss was a Barcelona youth coach and wants his team to have the ball, pass quick and move even quicker. Don't be surprised by Qatar, be...