A clip of an Ecuador fan clashing with a Qatar supporter at the opening match of the 2022 World Cup has gone viral on social media.The Ecuador fan stood up and made a money gesture to the crowd by rubbing his fingers together after the South American nation had an early goal controversially ruled out for offside.Qatar went into the tournament off the back of four straight friendly victories but were given a rude awakening at the Al Bayt Stadium by their South American opponents.Inspired by striker Enner Valencia, Ecuador thought they’d taken the lead inside the opening three minutes, only for the goal to be disallowed following a VAR decision that initially puzzled many.Read more: Qatar 2022: Why was Ecuador's World Cup opening goal ruled out by VAR?
What happened between the Ecuador and Qatar fans?
The fan in question appeared to be insinuating that the decision to rule the goal out was due to match-fixing.
Whether this was a tongue-in-cheek gesture is unclear, but there’s certainly a very strong possibility that it was.
However, the fan’s gesture went down badly with a Qatar supporter sat behind him, who shouted: “Shut up! Sit down!â€
The Ecuador fan, shocked by the reaction, sat down and said to the man: “Relax!â€
The fact there were two young children sat next to the Ecuador fan makes the footage all the more disheartening.
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Video: Ecuador and Qatar fans clash in World Cup opener
Watch the video here:
Within 20 minutes of being posted, one tweet had already racked up 7,000 retweets and 51,000 ‘likes’.
Update: Second video emerges
A second video has been posted to social media, appearing to show the two men having a conversation after the footage quickly went viral.
Read more: Ecuador fan vs Qatar fan: Footage shows what happened after viral World Cup clip
Ecuador outclassed Qatar in first half
Valencia scored his first goal of the afternoon shortly his other was disallowed, converting from the penalty spot following more suspect goalkeeping from Qatar’s Saad Al Sheeb.
And Valencia doubled his (and Ecuador’s) tally in the 31st minute, sending a bullet header past Al Sheeb after connecting with Angelo Preciado’s cross.
AL KHOR, QATAR - NOVEMBER 20: Enner Valencia of Ecuador celebrates with teammates after scoring their team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group A match between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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