Qatar makes wrong type of World Cup history with loss to Netherlands

The controversial host country fell to the Netherlands 2-0 on Tuesday, after opening tournament play with a 2-0 loss to Ecuador on Nov. 20 and falling to Senegal 3-1 on Friday. The Netherlands finished the opening round at the top of Group A with a 2-1-0 mark, while winless Qatar ends their run in fourth place having been outscored 7-1 across the three matches.

Qatar's minus-six goal differential is tied with Costa Rica (1-0-1) for the worst in the 32-team field. The Costa Ricans began the World Cup with a 7-0 loss to Spain, recovered with a 1-0 blanking of Japan, and face Germany on Thursday.

The Netherlands-Qatar bout was scoreless into the 26th minute on Tuesday, before Cody Gakpo scored on a shot to the bottom right corner of the net. The victors held a 1-0 lead at halftime before Frenkie de Jong added an insurance goal in the 49th minute.

The last host team to fail to make it to the knockout stage was South Africa in 2010, as they went 1-1-1. Host Brazil finished in fourth place in the 2014 World Cup and host Russia was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the 2018 event.