Four years of waiting finally come to a stop. Counting days to the World Cup ceases tonight. The Al-Rihla will roll on the green turf of Al Bayt, as the World peers in. The FIFA World Cup 2022, a turmoil of scandals and controversies, at long last is here. Host Nation Qatar will take on South American Ecuador in the tournament opener. The Maroon and La Tri battle for the first of the first Arab World Cup. The match will take place in Al Bayt Stadium at 9:30 p.m. IST.
Qatar, after a decade of planning and waiting, will attempt all the cards to win the game. The Asian Champions are wary of the South African World Cup and the humiliation the hosts faced. The Maroons face Ecuador to register a win boneless and avoid the nightmare of the unwanted record – Qatar falls in the group stage, Second Host Nation not to qualify for the knockouts. The 2010 South African team’s history is one of the most humiliating incidents a national football side has faced in the World Cup or not. Felix Sanchez has a target that comes up with pressure unaccounted for.
On the other hand, Ecuador’s not a small team. Plata and Caicedo are strong two names that have the potential to become a weapon in the World Cup. Qatar has played one of the largest World Cup preparations in history, but will that be enough? Ecuador’s cruise to World Cup should be celebrated, having gotten through one of the toughest qualifying confederations. They finished ahead of Colombia, Peru, and Chile in fourth to come to yet another world cup. On the term “humiliation”, Ecuador ain’t no saint. The South Americans qualified for the tournament in early March but their seat was confirmed in late November. The Byron Castillo incident lingers over the La Tri although they seemed to have moved on.
Qatar and Ecuador both will look forward to rewriting their shamed past. Qatar aims to put its hard efforts into the fruit while Ecuador aims to prove its grit. The question of who will win the first match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 enthralls us. Obviously, the anticipatory curiousness is worth living for.
Who do you think will win this match? Let us know in the comments!
