Enner Valencia, Ecuador’s captain and all-time record scorer, opened the scoring for La Tricolor’s resounding victory over Qatar with two goals in the first minute.
The South American team extended their winning streak to eight games on Sunday by defeating the hosts 2-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
In the 16th minute, the Fenerbahce attacker gave Ecuador the lead by converting a penalty kick he had earned himself.
Immediately after Angelo Preciado’s cross, Valencia added a second goal for La Tricolor by powerfully heading the ball beyond goalie Saad Al Sheeb.
Less than three minutes into the game, Valencia took the lead, but a VAR review determined that the goal was offside and so disallowed.
Four minutes from time, Ghanaian attacker Mohammed Muntari, who had been subbed in, came dangerously close to rescuing the hosts with a close-range drive that narrowly missed the crossbar.
That was Qatar’s only risky opportunity in the Group A encounter, despite their better performance in the second half.
Ecuador will play Group A favorites Netherlands before their last group match against Senegal.
