World Cup: Qatar gets off on wrong foot

DOHA – European heavyweights England and the Netherlands launch their World Cup campaigns Monday (late last night Manila time) as the tournament in Qatar shifts into a higher gear after a dispiriting defeat for the hosts.

Asian champions Qatar became the first home nation to lose their opening World Cup match as Ecuador cruised to a 2-0 victory on Sunday, with veteran forward Enner Valencia scoring twice.

Thousands of empty seats told the sad story as Qatar’s long-awaited World Cup debut ended in a bad case of stage fright.

Long before the final whistle at the spectacular Bedouin tent-inspired Al Bayt Stadium, the host nation’s fans among the 67,372 crowd had started heading for the exits.

The exodus began soon after Valencia headed his second goal shortly after the half-hour mark against the outclassed World Cup hosts.

As the second half wore on, swathes of unfilled seats could be seen as an evening that began with joyous celebrations and heady optimism ended with a whimper.

England, which meets Iran in Group B, will be desperate to start strongly as they target an end to their decades-long trophy drought after two near misses in recent years.

Gareth Southgate’s men made a surprise run to the 2018 World Cup semifinals in Russia before reaching their first major final for 55 years at last year’s European Championship.

The Netherlands takes on Senegal in Group A, with the African champions missing their injured talisman, Sadio Mane, who has been ruled out of the tournament.

The Dutch failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia in 2018 but the three-time runners-up are back in business.