Due to the scoreless tie between the Netherlands and Ecuador, Qatar has been eliminated from World Cup competition.
The Netherlands and Ecuador, two of their Group A rivals, tied 1-1.
After losing to Russia in their first match, Qatar is now the first team eliminated from the World Cup.
After a 2-0 opening-game loss to Ecuador, the hosts have no points.
DOHA – Enner Valencia, nicknamed “Superman,” captained Ecuador to a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands on Friday, keeping both teams alive for the round of 16, but eliminating the hosts, Qatar.
After Cody Gakpo put the Dutch ahead in the sixth minute with a sizzling shot, Valencia, 33, tapped in his third goal of the tournament from a rebound in the second half to even the score at four points apiece.
On Friday morning, Qatar’s 0-2 start to their first World Cup campaign was ended by Senegal. The group’s defending champions from Africa have a match against third-place Ecuador on tap for Tuesday.
The first half was a quiet one for the Ecuadorian side as Louis van Gaal’s squad appeared relaxed but not at ease. However, the South Americans stepped it up in the second half, aided by the loud support of the yellow-clad fans in the Khalifa International Stadium, and came close to winning when Gonzalo Plata’s shot hit the post.
In the 59th minute, Plato slammed a powerful shot off the post as the South Americans continued to dominate play. They were successfully pressuring the Dutch off the ball and preventing them from playing their usual fluid style of play.
“There were a few men who would not let up on your trail and would bite your hand off. Then it’s time to move fast, and we could have handled that situation better. We should have been more effective when we had the ball “Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk made the statement.
Gakpo’s goal ruined what had been a promising start for the Dutch, who were trying to become the first team to advance to the knockout stages with a second consecutive victory.
Moises Caicedo tried to play the ball back to his defense, but Davy Klaassen stole the ball, giving Gakpo the opportunity to take control of the ball and blast it into the back of the net with his left foot.
Unfortunately for Louis van Gaal, that was as good as it got for his team. Valencia’s clever pass in the 24th minute sent Caicedo away down the left and, although his touch was heavy and allowed the Dutch to intercept, it provoked a burst of noise from the large number of their fans that injected energy into the Ecuador players.
Pressure
Valencia cut inside to fire a shot that forced a full stretch save out of Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert soon after the half hour mark and, as they kept up the pressure, Ecuador had the ball in the back of the net in first half stoppage time as Pervis Estupinan deflected the ball home.
However, it was ruled out because Jackson Porozo was both offside and standing in front of the goalkeeper and blocking his line of sight.
The equaliser four minutes into the second half was always on the cards, as Ecuador stole possession in midfield and fed Estupinan for a stinging shot on the left that Noppert did well to parry but with Valencia pouncing on the rebound.
The 33-year-old, who went off near the end of the game, has now netted Ecuador’s last six World Cup finals goals – three at the 2014 tournament in Brazil and three in Qatar.
