After a dazzling show at the Wüsten Stadium, World Cup hosts Qatar lost the opening game 2-0 to Ecuador.

Even before the final whistle the spectator stands were empty, and a performance by Gianni Infantino, the president of the international football association FIFA, also caused irritation.

The international press writes about this:

Spain:

"Marca": "With money they got the cooling done, but not how to play football well.

(...) In elite football it is almost impossible without talent.

And if there was any doubt about that, the World Cup, the most demanding and spectacular sporting competition in the world, took three minutes to bring that to mind.”

"El País": "The Emir of Qatar opens the tournament and celebrates the "diversity" in a box with hardly any women."

France:

“L'Equipe”: “Qatar doesn't really have the level to play a role in their World Cup and a large part of their audience didn't come back in the second half.

A crazy opening.”

"Le Figaro": "One thing is certain: Qatar did not impress in this opening game.

(...) An opening game that, by and large, will not go down in history, played at a slow pace, with few chances and little spectacle.”

Great Britain:

Daily Mirror: “Enner Valencia shone even brighter than the Opening Ceremony light show as Ecuador beat hosts Qatar in the first game.

(...) Qatar has to show something very special in the next two games to even have a chance of progressing at their home World Cup."

"Telegraph": "Qatar offers a perfect example of sportswashing in its inaugural ceremony. (...) Ultimately, this ceremony was a showcase of a unique encounter between a corrupt, money-obsessed organization and a regime with a medieval approach to civil rights and job security."

"Guardian": "For Qatar, this was a disappointment with twelve years of preparation.

The host country has spent this time building the infrastructure for a World Cup shrouded in controversy and filled with a sour taste that whatever the next four weeks will likely never wash away.”

Italy:

"La Repubblica": "When the announcer proudly announces the 67,000 spectators in the stands of the al-Bait Stadium, many have long since left.

Already at halftime.

Qatar started very badly as hosts in the World Cup, the first in their history: a game that never happened, summed up in the face of the Qatari coach, the Spaniard Félix Sánchez Bas, which he covered with his hand after Enner Valencia's second goal. "

Austria:

"Kronen-Zeitung" (on Infantino's statement that he had experienced discrimination because of his red hair): "A sentence that is a mockery for the persecuted minorities and oppressed women.

Inappropriate and self-important.

(...) For a number of Qatar critics, however, one thing is certain: the low point has already been reached before the first game kicks off."