Netherlands and Ecuador swap points to knock off Qatar's hosts

At Khalifa International Stadium on Friday, the Netherlands and Ecuador drew 1-1 to split the points in their second World Cup game. Throughout the encounter, the South American underdogs appeared to be the more threatening team.

As a result, Qatar, the tournament's host, is the first team to be eliminated. In the first Group A game of the day, Senegal defeated Qatar 3-1. The PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo gave the Netherlands the lead with a beautiful strike in the sixth minute, but Ecuador rallied so fiercely that the Dutch were alarmed. Prior to their final encounter against the Dutch team, Qatar had to accept their elimination from Group A because the Netherlands and Ecuador were now tied for first place with four points in the standings, followed by Senegal with three. After the game, Gustavo Alfaro, Ecuador's head coach, informed the media that he was incredibly proud to be in charge of the youthful team.