Enner Valencia Brace Seals All 3 Points As Ecuador Beats Qatar

Enner Valencia brace was all Ecuador needed to seal all 3 points as they comfortably defeated the host nation Qatar in the opening game with a 2-0 lead at Al Bayt Stadium.

A first-half brace from skipper Enner Valencia was enough for the South American side to grab the vital. Enner Valencia opened the scoring within 3 minutes. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was ruled out as offside as the hosts survive an early mishap.

Enner Valencia then scored from the spot after being fouled inside the box and then with a Towering header made it 2-0 just past the half-hour mark.

This competition has been preceded by 12 years of discourse and debate, but in the end the opening game was simply men against boys as La Tricolor passed directly through Qatar’s defensive structure again and again.

The game kicked off at a frantic pace, with challenges flying in on both sides, and it took just two minutes for the first moment of drama in this competition to occur.

Less than 15 minutes later, however, Qatar found themselves 1-0 down when Al Sheeb brought down Valencia in the penalty area and the former West Ham striker converted the penalty.

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Qatar cut their domestic league short months ago in order to train as a team for several months ahead of the World Cup, but it was hard to see their hard work in action as they were consistently given the run-around by a well-drilled Ecuador side.

After half an hour it was 2-0, Valencia finding space in the box to reach Angelo Preciado’s cross and send an inch-perfect header past the hapless Al Sheeb.

After the excitement of the first half, the second was a pretty dismal affair as Ecuador controlled the game without pushing too hard for a third goal. With Qatar offering so little in attack, perhaps manager Gustavo Alfaro instructed his players to conserve their energy in the stifling Gulf heat.

The tactic paid off, with the game being reduced to a snail’s pace as Ecuador did enough to come away with the win.

It was a chastening afternoon for Qatar, who have seen the reality of entering a World Cup unprepared and have a lot of work to do before they face Senegal in their second fixture.