Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, a former captain of the Super Eagles, has hypothesized that the Al Bayt Stadium’s air conditioner may have had an impact on the Qatari players’ Sunday loss to Ecuador.
The former Nigerian international praised Ecuador even more after the South American team defeated the host nation in the 2022 World Cup’s opening match.
Okocha stated that Ecuador performed admirably at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on Sunday evening.
Former Premier League star, Enner Valencia scored a brace in the first half to ensure all three points from Group A which also has the likes of Senegal and The Netherlands.
Okocha, who is on punditry duty for Super Sport alongside Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves, noted that Qatar did not put up much of a fight in their loss.
“They did a professional job. They got the three points…needed, but in my opinion, Qatar made it a lot easier for them,” he said.
“I don’t know if the pressure was a bit much on them during the first half or maybe the air conditioner might have affected the players because they are used to playing in the heat [but] you have to give credit to Ecuador because it’s not easy to play against the host and they got the job done.”
