PremiumFIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony: With the opening ceremony kicked off on 20 November at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor in Qatar, the tournament opener between hosts Qatar and Ecuador resulted in Ecuador beating Qatar by 2 goals. Ecuador captain Enner Valencia scored two goals against Qatar.
The opening ceremony witnessed the performances of J Balvin, Robbie Williams, Jason Derulo, Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, Nora Fatehi, Black Eyed Peas, Jungkook of BTS, Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares.
Ecuador defeats Qatar 2-0 in tournament opener. Despite 5 minutes added as stoppage time Qatar could not score a goal. Enner Valencia’s penalty kick and header (16′, 31′) give Ecuador a 2-0 lead in the first half.
YELLOW Card for Qatar's Akram Afif! Afif is booked for a nasty challenge on Gonzalo Plata. Meanwhile, Ecuador's captain Enner Valencia is down on the pitch again, Jose Cifuentas replaced Enner Valencia. Qatar 0-2 Ecuador.
Ecuador's Jhegson Méndez gets booked for a nasty challenge on Qatar Akram Afif. Qatar 0-2 Ecuador
In the first half of the opening match, Ecuador captain Enner Valencia scored two goals against Qatar. They are now 2-0 ahead against Qatar. Match has resumed post half-time break.
Ecuador's Valencia is having a dream start as he scores his second goal against Qatar. Qatar 0-2 Ecuador.
Tasked with the almighty spot kick, Ecuador's Enner Valencia does it with style and scored a goal against Qatar. With this, Valencia becomes the all-time highest goal scorer for Ecuador in World Cups.
In the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2022, both Equador and Qatar will face each other at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor in Qatar from 9:30 pm IST.
Here's the Playing XI's:
Morgan Freeman's wonderful monologue is exactly what the biggest football tournament required
During the opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the Holy Quran will be recited by Ghanem Al-Muftah.
In the four years of commercial deals about the 2022 World Cup, FIFA has earned revenues of $7.5 billion which is $1 billion more than the income of the previous cycle tied to Russia 2018.
Around 1.2 million football fans are expected to attend the FIFA World Cup 2022. For a small country like Qatar, it is a matter of honour to host such a massive tournament
Belgium’s record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku trained apart from the squad on Sunday as uncertainty over his fitness continued to cast a shadow over the team's World Cup campaign.
Throngs of fans were already arriving in Qatar but the main rush will be later this week. A fan from Holland, clad in orange, told Reuters there was a a feeling of "constant pressure around you not to say the wrong thing or make the wrong move". "It's not a fun atmosphere to have at a World Cup."
Argentina fan Julio Cesar though said he expected a great atmosphere. "We'll drink before the match," he added, after alcohol sales at stadiums were banned.
In a show of Arab solidarity, Saudi Arabia's crown prince and the presidents of Egypt and Algeria will be among political leaders at the opening ceremony in a tent-shaped stadium at 5:40 p.m. (1440 GMT), before the first match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador. The U.N. Secretary-General will also be there.
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