STORY: Ecuador made the perfect start to the tournament by beating Qatar's side 2-0 in the Group A game with a brace from veteran striker Enner Valencia, who scored on a penalty kick and then a header in the first half. The game marked the first time a host nation had been beaten in a World Cup opener.

Fans dressed in national soccer jerseys and carrying Ecuadorean flags in honor of the team known as the "Tricolor" filled restaurants, squares and shopping centers in various parts of the nation to encourage the team with the traditional slogan of "Yes we can."

"I cried for the first goal that was disallowed. It was the hardest thing. But we are here; we have not lost faith," said Jenny Espinosa, 33, who went with friends to a shopping center in the city of Ibarra, in the north of the country, to watch and back the team.

In Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca, the country's largest cities, fans gathered in public parks to watch the game on giant screens and after the victory waved flags, danced and sang.

The first round of Group A games will be completed on Monday with the game between the Netherlands and Senegal.

Ecuador will play again on Friday against the Netherlands, while Qatar will face Senegal.