Ecuador captain Enner Valencia led from the front as he scored twice when the South Americans beat FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar 2-0 in the opening match held at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor City on Sunday evening.
Valencia thought he had given his side the lead in the third minute, only for VAR to rule that Michael Estrada was offside before playing the ball to him.
The 33-year-old Valencia finally gave the South Americans the lead from the penalty spot in the 16th minute. Ecuador were awarded the penalty after Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb had fouled Valencia inside the box.
Valencia, who earns a living at Turkish side Fenerbahce, completed his brace when beat Al-Sheeb with a header in the 31st minute.
Meanwhile, Qatar made history for the wrong reasons as they became the first FIFA World Cup finals hosts to lose their opening match.
