Qatarhost country and debutant in a World Cup, e Ecuador, directed by the Argentinian Gustavo Alfaro, will be the protagonist this Sunday of the opening match of the 22nd edition of the greatest football event organized by FIFA. It will begin at 13:00 (Argentina time) at the Al Bayt stadium -with a capacity of 60,000 spectators-, with the arbitration of the Italian Daniele Orsato and the television of Public TV and Directv.
For Orsato it will be the first experience in a World Cup and he will be joined by Ciro Carbone and Alessandro Giallatini as assistants. At the VAR you will find Massimiliano Irrati.
Group A is completed by Senegal and the Netherlands, who will face off on Monday at 1pm at the Al Thumama stadium.
Just over four years after France conquered Russia 2018, FIFA’s biggest competition will kick off with the first ever debut of a host country since Italy 1934.
The reigning Asian champion will try not to repeat the case of South Africa, who were the only club in history to be eliminated in the group stage.
Rival will be Ecuadorian Gustavo Alfaro from Santa Fe, who qualified after finishing a creditable third place in the South American qualifiers under powerhouses Brazil and Argentina.
The “Tri” has a fourth participation in the World Cup (2002, 2006 and 2014 the previous ones) involved in the controversy due to the absence of the defender Byron Castillo.
Two weeks after the debut, the CAS ruled against the Ecuadorian Football Federation in the case denounced by Chile for false documentation and, although it did not disqualify Alfaro’s team from the World Cup, it caused the player to be removed from the list to avoid possible future sanctions .
-Possible formations-
Qatar: Saad Al Sheeb; Pedro Miguel, Bassam Al-Rawi, Boualem Khoukhi and Abdul Karim Hassan; Mohammed Waad, Karim Boudiaf, Hassan Al Haydos and Abdulaziz Hatem; Almoez Ali and Akram Afif. DT extension: Felix Sanchez.
Ecuador: Alexander Domínguez or Hernán Galíndez; Ángelo Preciado, Piero Hincapié, Félix Torres and Pervis Estupiñán; Moisés Caicedo, Carlos Gruezo and José Cifuentes; Gonzalo Plata, Enner Valencia and Romario Ibarra. DT extension: Gustavo Alfaro.
Now: 1:00 pm
stage: Al Bayt Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy).
TV: Directv and Public TV.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.