Day 1: Qatar vs Ecuador - Match Discussion Only Please.

[bosnian_red]

Worst opening game ever

 

[DJ_21]

Is the first game of the World Cup always opened by the host?

 

[Utd heap]

Worst opening game ever

Russia v Saudi Arabia says hello.

Ended up being a fun game as the Russians were on the juice

 

[kode]

this is not insulting qatar but lack of respect for Ecuador. Would such statement be made if Qatar was playing France, England, Germany USA etc...

 

[rimaldo]

anyone else getting the juices in for this one?

 

[Utd heap]

anyone else getting the juices in for this one?

If by this you mean copious amount of drugs and alcohol - then yes.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

If by this you mean copious amount of drugs and alcohol - then yes.

Well it is on a Saturday…

 

[Shai-Hulud]

I don't know either team, but I see very low odds on u2.5 goals. I.e. this'll be shite. Two teams that can't attack?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Just found out that Qatar pressured FIFA into starting the tournament a day early, so this could be the only game scheduled on day one. Twats. I hope they get their arse handed to them.

 

[Utd heap]

Well it is on a Saturday…

Sunday but I have Monday off so the session rolls into England 1-0 Iran (Kane pen).

 

[Steffa Barnesa]

Is the first game of the World Cup always opened by the host?

I know it was the holders in the first match up until 2002 (France lost to Senegal that time, but in 2006 the hosts Germany opened it up). Not sure how long the tradition of having the holders open the tournament had gone on for, though.

 

[FerociousCorgis]

i mean pretty sure any decent qatar player has very little connection to the country. BUt hey whatever they need to do to be competitive and not get plastered i guess.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Well it is on a Saturday…

Sunday sadly

 

[rimaldo]

If by this you mean copious amount of drugs and alcohol - then yes.

that’s not very considerate to the hosts. i’ve been making every effort to be culturally appropriate, going as far as refusing to pay anyone who has been doing work on the house.

 

[Offside]

Is the first game of the World Cup always opened by the host?

Has been for a few years now. Used to be always opened by the holder.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

Has been for a few years now. Used to be always opened by the holder.

France losing to Senegal was an amazing opener to the World Cup.

 

[Kaos]

Hope Ecuador humiliate the sport washers.

 

[lefty_jakobz]

Qatar to get through to the knock out stages, VAR will help them and they will get every decision going.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

Everything is 100% possible, except impossible things.

 

[Mrs Smoker]

The spirit of Saint Assange is watching over you, Qatar, godspeed and spread forth devastation of Ecuador!

 

[SteveCoppellFan]

A bet on Qatar getting a penalty in this game seems rather profitable.

 

[matherto]

Hope Ecuador win 1-0 in the last minute and they all celebrate with a gay orgy.

 

[avgp_1]

Qatar to win 4-0.

 

[nygaard]

Probably the first opener I will not watch

 

[Pintu]

Has been for a few years now. Used to be always opened by the holder.

It was opened by the holder between 1974 and 2002… Before that it was the host (Mexico vs URSS in 1970, England vs Uruguay in 1966 and Chile vs Switzerland in 1962..)

 

[Rex Banner]

I'm actually quite looking forward to this match and the group in general tbf. Don't really know what to expect from any of the teams. Part me of hopes Qatar get absolutely pumped but it would be more interesting if they were actually decent.

 

[Offside]

I'm actually quite looking forward to this match and the group in general tbf. Don't really know what to expect from any of the teams. Part me of hopes Qatar get absolutely pumped but it would be more interesting if they were actually decent.

Would just feel dodgy if they did well.
Although this is nothing new. People felt uneasy about Russia at the last tournament, South Korea 2002…right the way back to Argentina in 1978.

 

[Glorio]

Fake news or not it's 100% possible

As it is with any other country to be fair. Haven't you watched refs in the champions league when Spanish teams are playing?

Go Qatar - big fan. Silky skills with power, pace and precision. It's like watching 11 peak Messi clones (if Messi had the passing range of Pirlo, the grace of Zidane, the heading of Zidane, and the speed of Thierry Henry)

 

[JJ12]

Qatar 1-0

 

[Isotope]

Viva Qatar.

The caf should change the name to RedCatar. We might get a new rich owner, and start buying world class staff.

 

[MalaysianRed7]

Every time a weaker team hosts the World Cup, they seem to start off against the next weakest team in their group. See South Korea in 2002 (Poland), South Africa in 2010 (Mexico), Russia in 2018 (Saudi Arabia) and Qatar this year (Ecuador). Is that a coincidence or not?

 

[AnotherLondonManc]

Every time a weaker team hosts the World Cup, they seem to start off against the next weakest team in their group. See South Korea in 2002 (Poland), South Africa in 2010 (Mexico), Russia in 2018 (Saudi Arabia) and Qatar this year (Ecuador). Is that a coincidence or not?

I think the host nation always opens against a pot 4 team. They're all normally considered to be pretty weak and Ecuador certainly isn't the weakest of them this year.

 

[Revaulx]

I know it was the holders in the first match up until 2002 (France lost to Senegal that time, but in 2006 the hosts Germany opened it up). Not sure how long the tradition of having the holders open the tournament had gone on for, though.

1966 was England (hosts) v Uruguay. Brazil were the holders, having won it in ‘62.

 

[KirkDuyt]

I think the host nation always opens against a pot 4 team. They're all normally considered to be pretty weak and Ecuador certainly isn't the weakest of them this year.

They're the weakest in our group though probably (well, Qatar are, but they cant play themselves).

 

[MalaysianRed7]

I think the host nation always opens against a pot 4 team. They're all normally considered to be pretty weak and Ecuador certainly isn't the weakest of them this year.

I meant in the group, which Ecuador are aside from Qatar themselves. Just seems interesting that the host nation kicks off with the “easiest” game every tournament.

 

[sifi36]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

I called it.

 

[Bepi]

Fun really starts if Ecuador got the envelope and nevertheless proceed to spank Qatar 0-5.

 

[Spark]

Fake news or not it's 100% possible

Yeah the ridiculous part is that this blatantly made up story is actually plausible.

Worth a bet builder.

 

[Bosnian_fan]

I really believe Qatar aren't as bad as they are being made out. They pretty convincingly won Asian Cup in 2019, beating pretty much everyone along the way. They may not get out of the group, but I'm pretty sure they will outplay Ecuador, perhaps even Senegal. They have based everything on Spanish football philosophy and I'd guess they are better drilled than most other sides.

 

[Spiersey]

I really believe Qatar aren't as bad as they are being made out. They pretty convincingly won Asian Cup in 2019, beating pretty much everyone along the way. They may not get out of the group, but I'm pretty sure they will outplay Ecuador, perhaps even Senegal. They have based everything on Spanish football philosophy and I'd guess they are better drilled than most other sides.

The issue for Qatar is that the 2019 was their peak. I remember watching it and thinking they’re really going to surprise people at the World Cup however they’ve gotten considerably worse since then. The 2019 side was fantastic with a low block and hitting on the counter. Almoez played great the entire tournament and the team couldn’t have played better. Even then, they need luck to get past SK. Now Almoez is considerably worse, Afif is probably the only player playing at a higher performance level than 2019. They’ve spent 6 months in a training camp for this and they’ve lost to Croatia u23, struggled v Ghana D team, Jamaica D team, Albania D team + a few others. They haven’t had enough high level prep matches in my opinion.
Their defence is weak now and tactically at a lower level than 2019. They won’t outplay either of the opponents as their style isn’t possession based. They can probably beat Ecuador if Ecuador finishing is poor. They aren’t a good side at breaking down a low block, tactically it’s a good game for Qatar.


On the subject of fixing, Qatar have quite likely been paying off ref’s/defenders in their friendlies. They’ve refused to stream the games or let in fans for most of them and they have been getting extremely dubious pens in multiple friendlies. A friend was at one of them due to being a journalist and said the ref’s were extremely favourable to them all game and the penalty was given for nothing It isn’t impossible that they’ve tried to buy the Ecuador game in my opinion.