11.
17:12
The free kick is blocked far in front. The cross came too flat.
10
17:12
The guests let the ball run and look for the gap before Enner Valencia is fouled on the left touchline.
9.
17:11
Al Sheeb comes out of the gate again and fists the leather out of harm’s way. That looked better than the supposed goal conceded.
8th.
17:09
After the early celebration, the game calmed down a bit. Ecuador keeps the ball in the back rows.
6.
17:08
Phew, the decision is examined for a long time and in the end it is unclear who exactly should have been offside. In any case, the score remains 0-0 and the game continues.
3.
17:07
VAR Decision: The goal by E. Valencia (Ecuador) is disallowed, score 0-0
There’s the lead for La Tri! Saad Al Sheeb completely underestimates the cross from the half field! The ball flies high in the air and the goalkeeper can’t catch the second ball either! Félix Torres tries to capitalize on this with an overhead kick, crossing the ball in the middle, where Valencia nods two meters from the goal! However, the VAR reports because there was an offside position.
2.
17:04
Ró-Ró, who grew up in Portugal, and Moisés Caicedo collide, causing the Ecuadorian to lie down and hold his knee. But it goes on without treatment.
1.
17:03
It’s going wild. The South Americans cleared a quick pass to the front before Qatar stopped the counterattack. Estupiñán played a foul in midfield seconds later.
1.
17:02
The soccer World Cup in Qatar begins with a snazzy delay. The home side toast. Let the wild ride begin!
16:55
At a summer temperature of 24 degrees Celsius, the teams step out of the catacombs onto the lawn of the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, which opened in 2021. In the design of a Bedouin tent, 60,000 spectators find space here and cheer on the teams. Play the national anthems. It will not be long!
16:53
Daniele Orsato will lead the start of this world championship. Three days before his 37th birthday, the Italian will be supported by line assistants Ciro Carbone and Alessandro Giallatini. Speaking of Italy, for the first time since 1934, the World Cup hosts are also making their debut. Back then it was the Squadra Azzura.
4:50 p.m
Qatar and Ecuador have met in three friendlies so far, most recently in 2018, when al-Anabbi actually managed to win, winning 4-3 in the friendly. The aforementioned Almoez Ali and Akram Afif started and contributed three of the four goals. However, none of the Ecuadorians mentioned was there. In addition, La Tri saw two red cards in the test match.
16:43
Ecuador is also rarely able to come to the fore with big names. This year, however, there are some promising players. At Brighton, Pervis Estupiñán and Moisés Caicedo have firmly established themselves in the Premier League. Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapié is also considered a kind of folk hero at home. Carlos Gruezo is also known from the Bundesliga, but initially only sits on the bench.
16:36
Many stars are not available to Qatar. The emirate relies on two blocks from the two top Qatari clubs Al-Duhail SC and champions Al-Sadd SC. With left winger Akram Afif and al-Anabbi’s record goalscorer Almoez Ali, the squad’s best players can also be found at these clubs. Both are in the starting XI today.
16:27
Ecuador have drawn a tough fate, with rumors of bribery circulating even before the tournament, with some of the players saying they could collect money for an intentional defeat in the opening game. The only way these rumors can really be swept aside is a win against Qatar, so the pressure is on. The South Americans are taking part in a World Cup for the fourth time. La Tri achieved their best result in Germany in 2006, when they lost to England in the round of 16. Hopes are high again in the group with the Netherlands and Senegal. Ecuador have not conceded a goal in six games, although they have only won two of those games. So the offensive still has to ignite.
16:18
The host of the World Cup has probably never been as difficult to assess as it is this year, although Qatar has been doing everything it can to prepare for this tournament for many years. The biggest success is the victory in the Asian Cup 2019, when South Korea and Japan, among others, were beaten. In the same year, Qatar were guests at the Copa America, but that was over after the group stage. The next tournaments followed in 2021. The American Gold Cup only ended in the semifinals against the USA before the Qataris beat Egypt in the Arab Cup to secure third place. The competitiveness should therefore be given.
16:10
A lot has been written, many grievances have been pointed out and constructive criticism can and must be maintained over the next few weeks. Slave-like forced labor, homophobia and transphobia as well as corruption are just a few of the allegations against the desert state. There are also soft factors such as moving to the winter, alcohol bans and fan groups. Despite all these problems, the focus in the next few hours will be on the sporty. Qatar is facing its first World Cup and wants to start victoriously against Ecuador. How are the chances?
16:00
Even before the first whistle, it is considered one of the most controversial World Cups in history. The World Cup in Qatar will be opened at 17:00 by the hosts against Ecuador. Warm welcome!