1ST DAY OF WORLD CUP: WHAT YOU MISSED | QATAR ECUADOR | FOOTBALL NEWS
DAY 1 AT WORLD CUP 2022. HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENED
At last, the main event of the day, yesterday's World Cup kick-off. In the opener, Qatar hosted Ecuador, losing 0:2. Enner Valencia slotted both accurate shots - firstly, the attacker netted from the penalty spot, then he got the job done with a brilliant header. Enner could have gone for a hat-trick, but his goal at the start of the game was disallowed due to offside. Many fans misunderstood the referee's decision, as it seemed the goal was clean. Let us explain. The goal was ruled out because of an offside before the assist to Valencia was made by Felix Torres. Replays appeared to show that Ecuador's Michael Estrada was narrowly offside when the ball was initially lofted into the penalty area, with his foot pictured just beyond the last man. All in all, we had a well-deserved victory for Ecuador � here are some shocking facts about the World Cup hosts' performance:
-Qatar touched the ball for the first time in Ecuador box in the 50th minute;
-During the opener versus Ecuador, Qatar had more offsides than touches in the opponent's box;
-11 shots at the match between Ecuador and Qatar is the worst result at the World Cup in 56 years;
-Qatar became the first host nation of a World Cup to ever lose its opening match.
Interestingly enough, after the first half, many Qatar fans left the stadium with their team already 2-0 down. As for other discussed points: Ecuador supporters shouted "We want beer!" in the middle of the match.
Morgan Freeman makes surprise appearance at World Cup!
Before the World Cup kick-off and the opener between Qatar and Ecuador, the opening ceremony of the tournament was held at the Al-Bayt stadium in the city of Al Khor. The headliner of the show was 85-year-old actor Morgan Freeman. At the ceremony, Freeman gave a speech alongside Ghanim Al Muftah, a famous disabled boy from Qatar, who was born without legs but eventually became a world-renowned Paralympic athlete. In his speech, Morgan Freeman addressed the fans: "Football unites nations around their love for the beautiful game. What brings together nations also brings together communities. We are all gathered here in one big tribe." During the performance, one could see a glove on the actor's left hand. Freeman damaged his hand in a car accident, after which he also fell ill with fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is an incurable disease in which patients experience severe musculoskeletal pain, the causes of which are unknown.
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