[Qatar World Cup] 'Host Nation Undefeated' Broken After 92 Years... Valencia's Multi-Goal Shocks Qatar (Summary)

Undefeated Streak of Host Nations Broken After 92 Years
Qatar Suffers First Opening Match Loss for a Host in World Cup History

Ener Valencia and Ecuadorian players celebrating. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The host nation's unbeaten streak in World Cup opening matches has been broken.

The Qatar national team lost 0-2 to Ecuador in the opening match of Group A at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, held at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, at 1 a.m. on the 21st (Korean time).

Since the 1934 Italy World Cup, the tournament's opening match has been played by the host nation. From the 1970 Mexico World Cup to the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, the reigning champion of the previous tournament was the official opener, but from the 2006 Germany World Cup, the host nation resumed playing the opening match.

Until now, the World Cup host countries had maintained an unbeaten streak in opening matches. Even in their first matches after the opener, the host nations had never lost. In a total of 21 tournaments, host nations recorded 16 wins and 6 draws (including the co-hosted 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup).

However, Qatar, participating in their first World Cup, broke that record by losing the opening match. Qatar conceded a penalty kick goal to ?nner Valencia in the 16th minute of the first half, and then allowed another header goal to Valencia in the 31st minute of the first half, ending the half 0-2 down.

Qatar launched a serious counterattack in the second half. However, shots by Pedro Miguel, Mohammed Muntari, and Akram Afif failed to result in goals, putting them in a difficult situation. Qatar attempted a total of five shots that day, but none were on target, exposing their lack of finishing ability.

On the 20th (local time), the opening match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup between Qatar and Ecuador was held at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. Qatar's coach F?lix S?nchez is waiting for the match to start.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Qatar had played a total of 24 A-level matches in 2021 alone, making thorough preparations for the World Cup. Coach F?lix S?nchez has been leading the team for six years since his appointment as Qatar's coach in 2017. The teamwork formed over this long tenure translated into solid organization.

Qatar demonstrated their capabilities by advancing to the semifinals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates, defeating Paulo Bento's South Korea, and then winning the championship by beating Japan in the final.

However, despite Coach S?nchez's meticulous 'defend first, counterattack later' strategy, Qatar had to taste defeat on their World Cup debut. Ecuador, powered by Valencia's performance, effectively blocked Qatar's counterattacks and secured their first victory.

As a result, Qatar became the first host nation in World Cup history to lose their opening match.