| Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Day-by-day TV listings - Full coverage details |
Before the start of the World Cup, football's world governing body told competing nations to focus on the sport.
Everyone associated with the country will want to forget the last 90 minutes of football for at least a week.
Felix Sanchez's side failed to get a shot on target in the entire game.
They became the first host side to lose in the tournament.
It turned into a nightmare for players and fans when the realization of their World Cup dream turned into a nightmare.
There are reams of column inches and website copy about the right to host the World Cup in Qatar.
There was excitement outside the stadium hours before the game on Sunday, despite questions about the country's human rights record.
The ramp leading to the entrance on camels and horses was lined with security staff.
The Ecuador supporters that traveled over were singing and chanting for their side, even though locals were more subdued.
Before the start of the game at Al Bayt, a stadium shaped in the form of a Bedouin tent, an opening ceremony was held with the help of an actor and a Quran being read by a child with a rare syndrome.
A new single was released by Jung Kook and Fahad Al Qubaisi, as well as a performance by them.
At the Fan Festival, spectators had gathered to watch the match on a big screen. Fans were turned away an hour before the game started.
They were diverted to a big screen away from the Fan Festival after leaving the Metro stations.
There wasn't much written about the experience of the players in the squad that won the Asian title.
They had a big surprise.
"Obviously this isn't what we were hoping for," he said. We have to analyse this match and try to forget about it.
There's no excuse. Thank you to the people of Ecuador who were deserving of the win. There is a lot of work that needs to be done. We did not play to our full potential. We may have taken the best of ourselves.
The rest of the match is determined by a bad start. The pressure has to be forgotten.
When Enner Valencia headed in from close range, he was given a reprieve by the video assistant referee, who ruled that he was in an ineligible position.
Things didn't improve as Valencia scored from the penalty spot and then headed in the second half to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
While the Ecuadorians were enjoying their day out, the home supporters dressed in their traditional thobes and abayas were mostly sitting in silence.
The stadium was half empty for most of the second period because many of the people who left at half time didn't come back.
In the second half, there was only one shot on target.
"Truth be told, I had enough work to look at this," he said.
We were supported by our fans and I hope they can support us again in the future. I am confident that the national team will perform better and that they will continue to support us.
It is not our best performance, that's for sure. We have to recover for the next game so we hope it will be better for us.
It is not easy.
The African Cup of Nations champion will play the Netherlands on November 29th.
South Africa was the second host country to fail to make it out of the group stage in the 2010 World Cup.
The build-up to the World Cup was derided and the national team don't want to go through the same thing.
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