- Rival Group A teams Ecuador and the Netherlands tied 1-1
- As the first team eliminated from the World Cup is Qatar
- After losing 2-0 to Ecuador in their opening match, the host country has no points
Enner Valencia, Ecuador’s “Superman” captain, led a spirited comeback as the South Americans drew 1-1 with the Netherlands in Group A on Friday, keeping both sides in contention for the round of 16, while eliminating hosts Qatar’s hopes of qualifying.
Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch the lead in the sixth minute with a scorching shot, but Valencia, 33, scored his third goal of the competition from a rebound in the second half to give both teams four points.
In their first World Cup match against Senegal earlier on Friday, Qatar lost for the second time in a row and was eliminated. With Ecuador coming up in the final group games on Tuesday, the African champions are in third.
The first half of Ecuador’s match was reserved as Louis van Gaal’s team appeared confident but unhurried. However, the South Americans picked up their game in the second half and had the game won when Gonzalo Plata’s shot hit the crossbar, they were encouraged by a sizable yellow-clad crowd at the Khalifa International Stadium.
The South Americans continued to improve, frequently hustling the Dutch off the ball by employing a physically taxing push that prevented their opponents from playing their typical fluid game. In the 59th minute, Plato blasted a powerful shot against the woodwork.
“They had a couple biters, men who were close behind you. When something happens, you must respond swiftly, and we could have handled that situation better. We had to have played better when we had the ball, “Virgil van Dijk, a Dutch captain, stated.
When Gakpo scored, the Dutch were searching for their second victory of the competition, which would have meant they were the first side to qualify for the knockout stages.
Davy Klaassen intercepted Moises Caicedo’s errant pass back to his defence, giving Gakpo the opportunity to seize control and fire a left-footed rocket into the goal.
But that was the most Louis van Gaal’s team could hope for. In the 24th minute, Valencia made a deft ball to send Caicedo running down the left, and although though his touch was heavy and allowed the Dutch to intercept, it sparked a loud outburst from the enormous Ecuadorian crowd, giving the team some much-needed energy.
Soon after the halfway point, Valencia cut inside and fired a shot that challenged Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert to make a full stretch save. As they continued to apply pressure, Ecuador scored in first-half stoppage time when Pervis Estupinan deflected the ball in.
Jackson Porozo, who was offside and obscuring the goalkeeper’s line of sight, caused the goal to be disallowed.
Four minutes into the second half, Ecuador regained control in midfield and passed Estupinan for a stinging shot on the left that Noppert did well to parry, but Valencia pounced on the rebound. The equaliser was always going to happen.
The 33-year-old, who was substituted at the end of the match, has now scored six of Ecuador’s previous seven World Cup finals goals, including three in Brazil in 2014 and three in Qatar in 2018.
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