According to former Nigerian player Austin Okocha, the Al Bayt Stadium’s air conditioner may have contributed to Qatar’s 2-0 loss to Ecuador in the 2022 World Cup opener.
Remember how Enner Valencia secured all three points from Group A, which also included teams like Senegal and The Netherlands, with a brace in the first half?
The former PSG player responded to the match by saying that Qatar may not have adapted to the stadium’s low temperature because they are used to playing in the summer.
Qatar did not put up much of a fight in their defeat, according to Okocha, who is serving as a commentator for Super Sport with Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves.
They completed the task expertly. They obtained the three points they required, but in my view, Qatar made it much simpler for them,” he remarked.
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“I don’t know if the pressure was a little too much on them in the first half or if the air conditioner might have affected the players because they are used to playing in the heat [but] you have to give credit to Ecuador because it’s not easy to play against the host and they got the job done,” the commentator said.
