The World Cup is coming to a close. Already, we are entering the semi-finals, and four of the best teams of the year are going to go head-to-head. But some might not be ready to say goodbye just yet. So, for those, let us take a look back at the first match of this year’s World Cup.
As the hosts, Qatar automatically qualified for the tournament, and were the openers for the tournament. The Qatar team faced off against Ecuador. As with any great football match, the bettors came out of the woodworks. And certainly, the sportsbooks found on betstation.com saw quite a bit of traffic. Of course, the opening match was just that. The deeper we go into the tournament; the more money will be spent on bets.
So, with so much excitement, the question remains: how did the match go? In this article, we are taking a look at the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Contestants
We already brought this up earlier, however, it bears repeating. Qatar and Ecuador were the contestants in the first match. The Qatar team brought out some of their best players. With a formation of 2 – 3 – 5, the forwards for Qatar were Afif and Abdulla. The defense was laid on the shoulder of 5 players, who backed the goalie, Al Sheeb.
On the other hand, Ecuador went with a more balanced formation of 2 – 4 – 4. Valencia Lastra and Estrada Martinez were largely responsible for the Ecuadorian team’s success, as they were the two forwards. We would be remised if we didn’t mention the efforts of Ecuador’s goalie, Galindez, who blocked several shots, and made sure that Qatar’s score stays at 0.
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The Winner
Perhaps you’ve already heard or picked up on this, but the winner of the match was Ecuador. Savvy fans could have predicted the match’s outcome from very early on. Throughout the game, Ecuador’s play was way further ahead of Qatar. They held possession of the ball for a good 53% of the time, had a better success rate when it comes to interceptions, offsides, and corners.
During the first half, Ecuador attempted an incredibly aggressive tactic. The high-risk, high-reward play paid off, as they scored both of their goals in the first half. After the two goals, the Qatar team pulled through, and managed to defend quite valiantly. However, it was all they could do. The Ecuadorian team’s defense was impenetrable.
During the second half, Qatar took on a more aggressive play. However, Ecuador switched gears and played a defensive game. As hard as they tried, the Qatari could not break through the Ecuadorian defense. Despite it all, the game remains as one of the most eventful and unforgettable games of recent World Cups.
Final Thoughts
The first of 64 matches is finally over. The opening game was fantastic, and did its job to get the blood pumping. Fans are now terribly excited for the future games of the 2022 World Cup. Next on the schedule is England vs. Iran, Senegal vs. the Netherlands, and USA vs. Wales, all of which will be held on 21 November.