Trinidad and Tobago had auditioned for the part (and if they’d held on for a tie – or, perish the thought – a win against England today, they would have gotten it), but Ecuador has emerged as the Cinderella of the tournament, booking its place in the second round with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica this afternoon in Hamburg.
Now 2-0-0, the Ecuadorans can actually win Group A if they tie the Germans in the first-round finale. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it could happen. Remember, Ecuador smoked Poland 2-0, while the Germans needed an injury-time goal to beat Poland 1-0 last night.
Ecuador has always been something a one-trick pony. Because of the altitude in their capital city of Quito (9,000 feet above sea level), they've dominated during home games in South American World Cup qualifying – they even beat Brazil and Argentina there in qualifying for this tourney. But without the best home-field advantage on their continent (and maybe the world), they’re just another team -- as a first-round exit at the last World Cup (Ecuador's first) attested.
Until now, that is. In this low-lying, port city, the Ecuadorans put on an impressive show, scoring three superb goals and exposing the Costa Ricans’ weaknesses. They capped it off with a bang, when Ivan Kaviedes headed home an Edison Mendez cross in stoppage time. That goal gave Ecuador a two-goal advantage over Germany in the race for first place. All the unheralded visitors will need is a draw, and they’ll win the group, which would be unbelievable. And pretty cool.
2 comments:
Ecuador was simply brilliant all around. I'm betting on them to make it far into the tourny. They have a very good team. The only thing that I'm nervous about with them is their goalie. He's a little scrawny, eh?
si se puede, si se pudo y siempre se podra, un pais pequeño pero grande por su gente,unidos por una pasion, por un puñado de jugadores que hacen soñar a un pais... que linda mi seleccion...
Post a Comment