"Ecuador has beaten Colombia, Chile, Peru and other South American teams in the South American zone of the World Preliminary Round, and has come to Qatar as the seventh in South America with the top three South American powerhouses, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and its potential is limitless."
With the Netherlands and Senegal on paper, and Qatar, the host of the World Cup, on the other, Ecuador's qualification in Group A is not optimistic. After the results of the group stage draw were announced, many fans also agreed that Ecuador would be the "cannon fodder" of Group A. However, when we look back at Ecuador's performance in previous World Qualifiers, we see that Ecuador is not exactly the traditional fish belly team that fans traditionally think of. Ecuador has beaten Colombia, Chile, Peru and other South American teams in the South American zone of the World Preliminary Round through tenacious struggle, and arrived in Qatar as the 7th in South America, along with the top three South American powerhouses, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and its potential is limitless.
Ecuador has had a mediocre record in the past few World Cups, but it has been a familiar face in the past two decades. Since making its World Cup debut in 2002, Ecuador has appeared in the World Cup finals in 2006 and 2014. In the 2006 World Cup, Ecuador beat Poland and Costa Rica to join hands with host Germany. In this World Cup, Ecuador has once again been placed in the former "blessed land" of Group A, and it is unknown whether luck will once again be on Ecuador's side.
Ecuador have been in their most recent clashes with their Group A rivals: a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in a friendly on the eve of the 2014 World Cup, a 4-3 defeat to Qatar in 2018, and a 1-0 defeat to Senegal with Senegal.
Ecuador Group Stage Schedule of the World Cup (Beijing time):
21 November 00:00 Ecuador-Qatar
In the opening match of this World Cup, Ecuador will face the host Qatar as a visiting team. Regardless of the outcome, Ecuador is bound to attract more attention from all over the world in this match, and it should be regarded as one of the highlights of Ecuador's World Cup history.
26 November 00:00 Ecuador-Netherlands
Against the Netherlands, the strongest on paper in the group, this will undoubtedly be an uphill battle for Ecuador. However, like Ecuador, the Netherlands were also absent from the last tournament, and Ecuador is unbeaten in its most recent clash with the Netherlands. As a team that is already a little unfamiliar with the World Cup, there is still a trace of suspense in this game.
29 November 23:00 Ecuador-Senegal
Facing the high-profile AFCON Africa Cup of Nations champions, Ecuador will face no less challenges in this match than in the last. But what is certain is that as the final match of the group stage, Ecuador will give its best and fight to the death no matter what, which is worth looking forward to.
For Ecuador, the biggest challenge for the team today comes from the offensive end. Defensively, in addition to conceding three goals in the South American qualifiers for the World Cup against Paraguay, Ecuador has conceded less than one goal in all competitions this year, including strong opponents such as Brazil, Argentina and Japan. While part of the reason is due to Ecuador's highland advantage at home, Ecuador's defensive end is relatively more reassuring than offensive. Ecuador's lack of offensive strength is undoubtedly a central factor that restricts the team from going further. The 4-2-3-1 formation that coach Alfaro has repeatedly used in recent friendlies also has a lot of demands on the offensive end. Alfaro has also changed his starting line-up over the past few friendly matches, hoping to find the best match for the players, but with little success. Ecuador always seem to lack a sharp blade that can tear through opponents' defenses at crucial moments.
The oldest star of the squad and captain of the Ecuadorian national team, Enner Valencia, who currently plays for Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super League, scored three goals in the 2014 World Cup (Valencia is not his compatriot, Antonio Valencia, who played for Manchester United for 10 seasons, who announced his retirement in 2021). After the World Cup, he landed in the Premier League and joined the "Hammers" West Ham United. However, eight years later, at the age of 33, Valencia, who has been far from the seven major European competitions, can regain the form it was in 2014 is still a big question mark.
Valencia Image credit: Getty Images
In addition to Valencia, there are now three players who play for Premier League club Brighton, namely left-back Pervis Estupiñán, midfielder Moisés Caicedo and winger Jeremy Sarmiento. The first two of these are the absolute workhorses of Ecuador. The left side guarded by the two not only repeatedly pinned down the opponent, but also often sent good passes for the attack.
Estupinian (left) and Caicedo (right) in Brighton. Image source: Getty Images
"Most in the field" Ecuador World Cup starting prediction
Although coach Alfaro has been practicing a 4-2-3-1 formation recently, he is likely to return to the 4-3-3 formation that helped Ecuador win the World Cup in the main event to deal with the risk of not showing a strong fulcrum in his forward line. Ecuador's forward line can still hope to qualify if it can find form in time in the group stage.
Chinese viewers want to continue to pay attention to Ecuador's journey in this World Cup, and in terms of traditional media, TV platforms such as CCTV will still accompany fans in the spotlight. In terms of new media, Migu Video has continued to make efforts in sports in recent years, especially in the media work of this year's Winter Olympics. This year's World Cup Migu will also broadcast 64 matches live, and if you want to pay attention to Ecuador's performance in this World Cup, you can't miss it from the opening match.