Shoppers and visitors witnessed the fall of Qatar at the Mall of Qatar
At the patriotically named Mall of Qatar, the fate of the national soccer team was boiled down on Tuesday night, along with fries, burgers, buns, pizza and a host of other mouth-watering international delicacies.
Guerrillas mingled with England and Wales fans stocking up for their game at the nearby Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium at several outlets located around the four giant screens in the food court’s atrium.
While the neutrals and locals frolicked 20 kilometers west of central Doha, the Netherlands began to pull into the soft underbelly of Qatar almost 50 kilometers further north.
Games against Ecuador on November 20 and Senegal five days later exposed this. The Netherlands needed another boost to feed itself.
Qatar, playing in their first World Cup, went into the last match of Group A having already been eliminated from their tournament.
Rates
Felix Sanchez’s men could, at best, thwart the Netherlands’ bid to progress to the final stage with an emphatic victory that would have seen Senegal and Ecuador advance had they drawn at the Al-Bayt Stadium.
The permutations of that fantasy came midway through the first half when Cody Gakpo scored his second goal of the tournament to put the Netherlands ahead.
Full control was intercepted just after the break. Frankie De Jong stabbed home after Qatar goalkeeper Meshaal Aissa Barcham saved Memphis Depay’s shot.
“It was very, very, very bad,” said Ahmed Al Katein, 33, as he stood watching the end of the affair near a leaf-covered column on the retail level above the eateries.
“I thought I’d watch part of the last game in case we won, but it’s no wonder we’re not doing well.”
Reconstruction
The 500,000 square meter shopping mall opened in 2016 and the rapid construction of the dazzling stadiums and metro for the FIFA World Cup are testaments to Qatar’s efficiency and dynamism in modernizing the area and hosting the first World Cup in the Middle East. .
However, the authorities have been criticized for organizing the competition because of their treatment of migrant workers who built the infrastructure, as well as their relationship with the LGBTQ+ community.
“I am proud that the World Cup was held in Qatar,” added Al Qatein, a Qatari special forces officer.
“And I would love to see more international events here … as far as the football team they have to beat. I really don’t know what happened to them. They were so nervous.”
Growth
Abdullah Al-Amri attributed the shortcomings to inexperience.
“The whole team plays here in Qatar and other teams have players in the top leagues in Europe,” the 61-year-old added.
“Qatar had never played in the World Cup and they were feeling the pressure. Maybe the federation should try a new coach.”
While the Netherlands advance to Saturday’s round of 16 match against the United States, Qatar’s football chiefs will continue with the post-mortem.
But the shame of being only the second team after South Africa in 2010 to host the FIFA World Cup and fail to progress to the second stage will linger for at least four years.
By this time, the national team, with or without a new coach, could improve.
