The drums of war are beating this evening for the final week of the World Cup! In the first matchup, hosts Qatar face off against
Ecuador
, what was originally seen as the most unsuspecting opening match in history, is abuzz with pre-match match-fixing controversy. Rumor has it that Qatar paid a whopping $7.4 million for the
Ecuador
The news of a 1-0 victory, with eight players, is being watched around the world. Players from both sides are expected to be highly cautious, trying to avoid any mistakes that could lead to suspicions of match-fixing. In addition, considering that
Ecuador
With a total of only 2 goals or less in the last 7 matches, consider placing a bet on goals less than 2.5. (Simulcast on Viu TV 99, Now 618 and 616 at 00:00am on Monday)
Qatar is regarded as the weakest host in the history of the World Cup, and has never reached the final week of the World Cup before, with players playing in their home leagues. If they were not the hosts, and did not have to compete in the final rounds to qualify, Qatar might not have made it to this year's final week.
However, the small West Asian country is financially strong, from the year when it was suspected of bribing international
soccer league
Officials bought the hosting rights, to now rumors of huge sums of money to buy rivals to release water, Qatar can not be underestimated. Even if their overall strength and experience is not as good as
Ecuador
, there could still be surprises in this opener.
Ecuador
Legionnaires' Asian rivals face perilous odds
South American powerhouse
Ecuador
They have a number of players who have played in Europe's major leagues, such as Moses Scarcido of English Premier League's Bradenton. However, their international performances have not been impressive, including the current World Cup, and they have only reached the final week four times, with the last time being in 2014 when they exited the group stage.
(go ahead and do it) without hesitating
Ecuador
The offense is mediocre, but the defense is okay, having played 1-1 draws against Brazil and Argentina in the South American regional qualifiers. In preparation for this crucial match, the team's last three warm-up matches were against Asian teams, including Saudi Arabia, Japan and Iraq, all ending 0-0.
Qatar buyout
Ecuador
The world's eyes are on this match after the rumors of the players letting the game slip away. The players may not dare to do anything rash, but they can't afford to offend the top brass. The best option may be to end the match in a draw, and betting on a goal difference of less than 2.5 goals is definitely the smartest choice.
