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FIFA World Cup 2022: Two reasons why Qatar and Ecuador faltered in Group A

Qatar, in fact, created history by becoming the first-ever World Cup host nation to be knocked out after just two games. Ecuador also went out of the World Cup.

Qatar

When the draws for the FIFA World Cup group stages were made, Group A looked quite a straight-forward one with the Netherlands and Senegal being the favourites to progress. And, it has turned out to be exactly the case. The Netherlands have progressed to the last 16 as group toppers with Senegal coming second.

Qatar, in fact, created history by becoming the first-ever World Cup host nation to be knocked out after just two games. They have also joined South Africa as the only host nation to not make it to the round of 16.

Ecuador, meanwhile, should not be too disheartened with their efforts as they took four points in three games. The South Americans will be especially proud of their draw against the Netherlands. They almost managed to contain Senegal to a draw as well which would have seen them qualify for the last 16.

Here, we will take a look at two reasons why Qatar and Ecuador fell short:

Lack of experience:

Ecuador went to the World Cup with an exceptionally young squad with their manager binning older players and keeping faith in youth. They showed incredible fighting spirit but lack of experience came to cost them. However, with their key players set to peak in years to come, Ecuador should be excited about the upcoming future. Qatar, meanwhile, have been pretty disastrous in the World Cup. Their players' lack of exposure at the highest level has cost them bigtime and it will be a learning curve for the Asian outfit.

Ecuador


A massive gulf in quality compared to the Netherlands and Senegal:

To be pretty clear, neither Ecuador nor Qatar are anywhere near the level of that of the Netherlands and Senegal. Qatar's lack of quality has been evident as they have been arguably the worst team in the entire competition. Ecuador, have certainly punched above their weights but eventually fell short which is understandable. Ecuador, should not feel hard done by getting knocked out from the group stage. They should learn from their experience and vow to come back a lot stronger and more mature in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Story first published: Friday, December 2, 2022, 19:08 [IST]
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