Qatar vs Ecuador preview
The FIFA World Cup opener is quite the spectacle. As the first match of the biggest football tournament in the world, it always attracts attention. However, what often escapes the real attention is the importance of the game for the two teams involved. With each team only playing three games in the group stage, a win in the first match is always what teams look for.
In the last five World Cups, there have been four wins and a draw, with 18 goals scored in the process. These matches included some brilliant games, such as Germany’s 4-2 win over Costa Rica, Senegal’s shock win over defending champions France in 2002 and Russia’s 5-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia in 2018.
So, when Qatar take on Ecuador in the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the expectations will be that the game lives up to the heights of its predecessors. Ecuador are ranked 44th, while Qatar are ranked 50th, which makes this between two teams.
Qatar have yet to play much international football as they qualified directly for the tournament. However, they are an impressive side that won the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, defeating top Asian sides such as South Korea and Japan. And no team should take Qatar lightly. They have talented players such as Akram Afif, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Abdelkarim Hassan, and captain Hassan Al-Haydos.
Ecuador will also be eyeing their chances against a team that has not played much competitive football for the last three years. The team will rely heavily on striker Enner Valencia who will be looking to add to his 35 goals for his country. They also have the second youngest squad in the World Cup, which include players such as Gonzalo Plata, Piero Hincapie, and Moises Caicedo.
Ecuador 🇪🇨 defense vs Qatar 🇶🇦 in World Cup opening match: #WorldCup2022 #Qatar #Ecuador @Castro1021 pic.twitter.com/NCkbPOXVvV
— Castro1021Content (@castro1020juan) November 17, 2022
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Qatar vs Ecuador team news
Qatar had only injury concerns before the opening match, as forward Ahmed Alaaeldin came off injured in the game against Albania last week. While he is not an automatic starter, he has been used as an impact substitute, and manager Felix Sanchez will be hoping he recovers in time for the match. Elsewhere the team are injured free, the team will play more attacking compared to the quality of the…
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