After the 1-1 draw between the Netherlands and Senegal in Group A, Qatar’s elimination from the 2022 World Cup is certain.
A draw between the two sides was all it took to ensure Qatar held the unfortunate record of the earliest elimination in World Cup history, having lost their second group game to Senegal earlier in the day.
Felix Sanchez’s side had a difficult start to the tournament on home soil after suffering a humiliating defeat by Ecuador on the first day of the World Cup.
Enner Valencia’s brace in the first half was enough to hand the hosts defeat. Qatar looked completely overwhelmed, even though the domestic league ended prematurely in preparation for the World Cup.
With Ecuador and the Netherlands now on four points each in Group A and Senegal on three points after beating Qatar, the hosts are mathematically unchallenged even if they shock the world by beating the Netherlands in their last game on Tuesday.
After South Africa, Qatar is the only host country to be eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage. Unfortunately for Qatar, the 2010 hosts kept their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive until the third and final matchday, losing to Mexico on goal difference.
Despite a shaky start, Qatar came into play better in the second game and stayed in the game for long stretches. In the last half hour of the game against Senegal, Qatar kept up the pressure and were even denied a clear penalty in the first half. But the African champions kept their nerve and won 2-1.
This article was originally published on 90min.de as Qatar manage the earliest World Cup elimination of a host country.
