Enner Valencia's first half double proved to be more than enough as Ecuador claimed an opening day victory against host Qatar at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The Fenerbache forward had his goal ruled out as early as the 5th minute after VAR deemed him to have been in a offside position.
Qatar were having problems at the back as they tried to hold the runs of the forwards, a task they failed to uphold as Shotstopper Saad Al Sheeb caught the legs of Valencia inside the penalty box in the 15th minute, giving Ecuador a penalty.
Valencia stepped up and smoothly converted his spot kick, burying at the bottom right corner to give his team a 1-0 lead.
This was the first time the first goal of an edition of the tournament has been a penalty.
The forward doubled the lead and his tally in the 31st minute, sending a powerful header past Al Sheeb.
With the goal, the forward became the first Ecuadorian to score two goals in a World Cup match.
Qatar finally got their first shot of the game two minutes later, but Hasan Fadlalla launched his shot over the bar.
At the last minute of the half, Almoez blew a perfect chance to bring Qatar back into the game but he couldn't head his ball into the net from six yards.
After the break, Ecuador kept pushing for the third goal but Romario Iberra had his effort brilliantly saved by the Qatar Shotstopper.
Qatar on the other hold kept firing blanks as the likes of Afif and Muntari couldn't find the target with their attempts.
There was no need to panic for Ecuador, as they held to earn their victory of the group.
As it stands, they are the table toppers of Group A but could change if either Netherlands or Senegal win their tie with a respective goal difference.
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