Enner Valencia of Ecuador had a great start to the Fifa World Cup, especially in the first match against Qatar.
Valencia is the captain for his country, and some might remember him for his spell at West Ham United. He thought he scored three minutes later after a mix-up with Qatari’s box.
Valencia nodded in an empty goal, but it was confusedly ruled out by VAR after Michael Estrada was found to have been offside.
Valencia refused to let a disallowed score get him down. Valencia scored a perfectly valid goal on 16 minutes.
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The Fenerbahce player scored a great header to give Ecuador an easy 2-0 lead.
But, his chances of continuing in this tournament were in jeopardy when he was injured. He was then stretchered off and returned to play just moments later, much relief for Ecuador supporters.
He did this all before half-time, but his second half was much less dramatic. He lasted 77 minutes and the Ecuadorians remained at 2-0. That was it.
Qatar will be very disappointed by their performance, especially when you consider the criticisms that they have received about human rights in the lead up to the tournament.
Gary Linker, ex-england striker, spoke out at the BBC’s broadcast to discuss the host controversy. The former England striker said: “It’s the most controversial world cup in history, and a ball hasn’t even been kicked. Ever since FIFA chose Qatar back in 2010, the smallest country to have hosted football’s greatest competition, has faced some big questions.
“From accusations of corruption in the bidding process to the treatment of migrant workers who built the stadiums where many lost their lives. Homosexuality is illegal here. Women’s rights and freedom of expression are in the spotlight.”
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