Enner Valencia, legionnaire in the service of Fenerbahce Istanbul, put his stamp on the opening match of the most expensive and most criticized World Cup (cost 220 billion euros). What remains is a hangover in the host country Qatar, which has opened the tournament pompously with a 30-minute light show, Hollywood star Morgan Freeman or the South Korean pop hero Jung Kook (BTS) in a black and glittering Michael Jackson outfit.
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Ecuador lived up to their role as favorites in front of 67,372 eyewitnesses in the Al Bayt Stadium – a log in the desert – and showed the number 50 in the FIFA world rankings around the former LASK legionnaire Almoez Ali in a 2-0 (2-0) victory the borders up.
- ZIB 1: ORF correspondent Karim El-Gawhary gives an overview of the mood in Doha:
The 33-year-old Valencia scored in moderate temperatures (maximum 25 degrees), which would not have required artificial air conditioning, with a penalty (16th) and with a powerful and well-placed header (31st); a third goal prevented an offside position (3rd). The striker, who played for West Ham and Everton in the English Premier League from 2014 to 2017, now has five World Cup goals, drawing level with the likes of Romario, Milla, Garrincha, Neeskens and Zidane.
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World Cup debutant Qatar was guilty of a lot, especially on the defensive. Goalie Saad Al-Sheeb turned out to be an extreme factor of uncertainty with suboptimal control of the penalty area.
Referee Daniele Orsato (at least one World Cup participant from Italy) pulled out six yellow cards, four times for Katari. Incidentally, their country is smaller than Upper Austria and has built eight hypermodern stadiums from the ground for this tournament, during the construction of which up to 15,000 workers lost their lives.
“Pretty Much Hypocrisy”
It’s no wonder that Wenzel Michalski, Germany director of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, says he “saw quite a lot of hypocrisy” at the opening ceremony. “Diversity was addressed, inclusion was shown, tolerance was talked about – but from a country and from people who don’t live it.”
Now the ball is rolling – but not the way it should from the point of view of the World Cup hosts. Qatar’s rebellion in the second half was palpable, with zero effect. Ecuador has set the course for the round of 16. Not carefree. Match winner Valencia retired with knee problems.
Source: Nachrichten
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
