Qatar 2022 – Unlucky Ecuador Forced to a Draw by Oranje
Ecuador was unlucky not to take all Tri points against the woeful Netherlands. Impressive La Tri drew 1-1 with the uninspiring Netherlands at Khalifa International Stadium, meaning Ecuador’s bid to advance from the group stage of a FIFA World Cup for just the second time would depend on the outcome of the remaining games.
Both teams entered the match feeling confident after claiming 2-0 victories in their opening group matches, with Ecuador defeating Qatar’s hosts and the Netherlands defeating Senegal.
Given this, both teams knew that a victory would advance them to the round of 16, and it was Louis van Gaal’s team that got off to the perfect start when Ecuador gave up the ball 20 yards from the goal. Cody Gakpo recovered and fired a fantastic shot past Hernán Galández at the near post to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Following Memphis Depay in 2014, the 23-year-old became the second Dutch player to score in each of his first two World Cup outings.
Despite gaining the lead, the Oranje were not particularly impressive; in fact, Ecuador may have been the superior team in the opening period.
La Tri believed they had equalized in stoppage time, but Pervis Estupián’s goal was disallowed because Jackson Porozo was found to have been standing in Andries Noppert’s way while offside.
Even though they had a chance to feel sorry for themselves, the South Americans came out after the break with the same goal in mind and quickly equalized when Enner Valencia was on hand to touch the ball in after Estupián’s effort had been stopped by Noppert.
Ecuador’s previous six World Cup goals have been scored by the 33-year-old. With a bounce in their step, Ecuador realized they had a real chance to make history, and they came agonizingly close to doing so when Gonzalo Plata’s strike from just beyond the box hit the crossbar.
A point against Senegal on Tuesday would guarantee to qualify from Group A for Gustavo Alfaro’s team, who were deserving of scoring a winning goal in the dying moments. With a point against winless Qatar, the Netherlands will also advance.
