Ecuador got their first World Cup finals campaign since 2014 off to a flying start, sailing to a 2-0 victory over host nation Qatar. Despite coming into the tournament with low expectations, La Tri can start dreaming big following a stellar opening-day performance.
With Group A favorites Netherlands and Senegal going head-to-head tomorrow, beating Qatar was essential to Ecuador’s bid to reach the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time since 2006. And Gustavo Alfaro’s men excelled at Al Bayt Stadium, putting Felix Sanchez’s side to the sword.
Despite being denied the opening goal by VAR, Ecuador captain Enner Valencia soaked up the limelight as the standout performer in Al Khor. The Fenerbahce talisman first converted a spot-kick, drawn by himself, before heading home to put the game to bed already on the half-hour mark.
Here we take a look at the Ecuador players’ ratings.
Ecuador (4-4-2):
Hernan Galindez – N/A
How can you rate a goalkeeper who wasn’t called into action once? Galindez could have done the crossword during this game, with Qatar doing absolutely nothing in the attacking third.
Angelo Preciado – 6
Aside from setting Valencia up on a silver plate for Ecuador’s second, Preciado’s darting runs down the right-hand side caused all sorts of problems for Qatar throughout the game.
Felix Torres – 5
Qatar may have caught Torres napping on more than one occasion, but with no punishment, the center-back got away this time. Yet he’d be better off reassessing his approach.
Piero Hincapie – 6
We’d bet Hincapie would like his life at Bayer Leverkusen to go as smoothly as this game. He kept things tight at the back and was composed with the ball at his feet.
Pervis Estupinan – 6
Like his right-back counterpart, Estupinan had plenty of freedom to venture forward. The Brighton & Hove Albion left-back was a constant threat on the left, while he held up to his end of the bargain at the back.
Gonzalo Plata – 7
Blessed with quick feet and brilliant technique, Plata was too hot to handle for Qatar’s clueless backline one too many times. Despite lacking an end product to show for it, he was a breath of fresh air up top.
Jhegson Mendez – 6.5
With Plata entrusted with creating meaningful stuff in the front third, Mendez embraced the responsibility for cutting Qatar’s attacks off at their knees. He must have wanted to pick up a booking, but it’s how it is when you play on the edge.
Moises Caicedo – 6.5
Perhaps Ecuador fans expected more from the Brighton prodigy, but what Caicedo did in the engine room proved enough to sink Qatar. His tireless runs in the middle of the park looked good, though.
Romario Ibarra – 7
Came close to scoring late in the second half when Saad Al Sheeb pulled off a decent save to thwart his close-range effort, Ibarra had a solid game.
Enner Valencia – 8
A match-winning performance from the Ecuador captain could be a massive confidence boost going forward. He played almost every role on the pitch to give his side a foothold in the match.
Michael Estrada – 7
Despite not seeing much of the ball, Estrada’s drifts out wide did enough to keep the Qatar defense confused for most of the game.
Substitutes
Jeremy Sarmiento – N/A
Jose Cifuentes – N/A
Alan Franco – N/A
Kevin Rodriguez – N/A