Enner Valencia scored twice in the first-half to give Ecuador a 2-0 at the break against Qatar in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khol. Valencia broke the deadlock in the 16th minute after converting a penalty which he had won.
The 33-year-old then made it 2-0 at the half-hour-mark, heading home Angelo Preciado’s cross. Valencia, who had a goal disallowed inside the first three minutes, is the oldest player to score a goal in the opening game of a World Cup. Ecuador are at the 44th spot in the FIFA rankings while hosts Qatar are at the 50th spot.
Qatar XI: Saad, Pedro, Bassam, Khoukhi, Abdelkarim, Homam, Al-Haydos, Karim, Aziz, Afif, Almoez.
Ecuador XI: Galindez, Preciado, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan, Plata, Mendez, Caicedo, Ibarra, Valencia, Estrada.