Qatar let themselves down massively in their clash with Ecuador on Sunday which kicked off the tournament, falling to a 2-0 loss to the South American side. Getting thoroughly outplayed by CONMEBOL's weakest qualified side gave a true indication of their stature on the global stage, but luckily for them, they still have time to prove people's perceptions wrong. Manager Felix Sanchez claimed his side were "nervous", and their performance did represent the look of a side who froze on the big occasion. The fact that they were seemingly incapable of doing the basics such as passing and pressing suggests it was some sort of mentality issue, because this was a side that won the Asian Cup in 2019. They were top scorers in that competition and repeated the feat at the 2021 Gold Cup which they were invited to take part in, but attacking duo Almoez Ali and Akram Afif were bystanders in the game with Ecuador. Another poor defeat here will only enhance the arguments against them being hosts in a footballing sense, as they have yet to show themselves as worthy of competing at this level.

Two huge errors from Edouard Mendy cost the Lions of Teranga heavily as they also fell to a 2-0 defeat. Cody Gakpo's 84th-minute header for the opening goal was the first shot on target the Dutch had in the match, which again illustrates how well Senegal did to stifle them for much of the game. A first clean sheet in nine World Cup finals matches looks more likely for Senegal here though, given the opposition they will be facing. Their defensive record in Africa has been impressive, as they conceded just twice on their way to Africa Cup of Nations glory at the start of the year and let in just three in six games afterwards before this tournament. However, to claim a vital three points, they will need to find a clinical edge, and not having Sadio Mane poses a huge dilemma for Aliou Cisse's side.

Scores: Qatar 0 vs Senegal 3

(Image: Khel Now)