World Cup dismay for host Qatar as Ecuador wins opening game
Doha: The opening game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ended in disaster as Ecuador overpowered Morocco 3-1 in Doha on Sunday.
The team from the Amazon region won by a single goal after a second half flurry that saw the visitors create the first half of their best chance and then score just before the interval when winger Juan David Cabezas missed a penalty.
Former Spanish youth international Cabezas made no mistake in scoring from the spot in the 68th minute when his long range effort hit the post.
It was Ecuador’s first World Cup win since 1995 and their first on the Asian soil since 1990.
On the other hand, Morocco’s campaign was marred by two poor starts as they lost 1-0 at home to Iran and 1-1 in their second match against Korea DPR and will be looking for a better tournament as they host Australia later on Tuesday.
“The team played really well,” Morocco coach Carlos Queiroz said.
“We are not disappointed at all. We were in top gear from the very beginning. It was a difficult game.
“I must say this performance on the field in Qatar makes us much more confident.
“We are going to leave behind a good memory and we aim to build on this positive moment in the future.”
The opening game was a rare clash between European opposition with the Dutch team already eliminated by Portugal while Algeria won 4-1 against the Faroes and the Czech Republic lost 1-0 to Canada.
In the evening’s second game, Argentina beat Italy 2-0 as Joaquin Correa’s early strike from outside the penalty area proved too hot to handle for Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
In the first half, Argentina captain Gonzalo Higuain headed an Andres Muller free-kick into the net on nine minutes and then the second-placed team from South America levelled the score on the stroke of half-time against the run of play when Juan Veron scored from a corner.
But in the second half the floodgates opened as the Argentinean team won a golden chance when a header by the midfielder Leonardo Bonucci found its way into the net after Bonucci
