Qatar lost the opening game of the tournament 2-0 to Ecuador on Sunday, and though their performance was better on Friday they were still on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against Senegal.
Hosts Qatar became the first team to be eliminated from the FIFA World Cup on Friday after Group A rivals the Netherlands and Ecuador drew 1-1.
The Dutch and Ecuador each have four points, and Senegal has three. Qatar is without a point after they lost their opening game 2-0 to Ecuador and then went down 3-1 to Senegal earlier on Friday. They cannot qualify for whatever happens in their final match against the Dutch on Tuesday.
Qatar lost the opening game of the tournament 2-0 to Ecuador on Sunday, and though their performance was better on Friday they were still on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against Senegal.
“We expected way more from this team, they played a match that was below standards, not as if it was a World Cup game. We wanted to at least enjoy it. It was absolutely shameful,” Qatar fan Emam Abdulrahman told media outside the Al Thumama Stadium.
“We excused them in the opening match, we said they were stressed as it was the World Cup, and the whole world was there. But today, they disappointed us more than necessary,” she added.
It was the earliest exit by a host nation in the World Cup’s 92-year history. Qatar’s fate was sealed after the Netherlands and Ecuador drew 1-1 in the other Group A match.
Qatar still has one more match to play against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Qatar had previously made unwanted history as the first host to lose the opening game of the tournament and, while South Africa in 2010 is the only other host team to be eliminated in the group stage, the South Africans at least went out with a win and a draw from their three games.
Remember that Qatar had never qualified for the game’s biggest tournament before winning the right to host it 12 years ago. Every squad member for the 2019 Asian champion plays for a local club.
Senegal, on the other hand, got its campaign back on track after losing 2-0 to the Netherlands in the first match.
