Bonds coach Louis van Gaal was already discussing with his captain Virgil van Dijk on the sidelines about missing out on the round of 16, when the Ecuadorians and their goalscorer Énner Valencia were still being celebrated extensively by their fans.
The fastest goal of the World Cup so far in Qatar was not enough for the Netherlands to advance early, instead Valencia blasted the Oranje party with his goal for the history books. In their second group game against Ecuador, Elftal only managed to draw 1-1 (1-0) despite Cody Gakpo’s lightning lead (6th minute).
“We lost the ball too quickly and played it too slowly. They were much more aggressive. But at least we got a result in the end,” said van Dijk. Van Gaal also complained that his team had not acted decisively enough. “Ecuador was hot, won every duel.” Ecuador’s captain Valencia (49′) scored his sixth straight World Cup goal, a feat that only three other players had managed before him. “I’m very proud of this game,” said Ecuador national team coach Gustavo Alfaro. In the 90th minute, however, Valencia had to be taken off the field injured and carried on a stretcher.
Depay on the bench, Gakpo shines
With four points from two games, Ecuador and the Netherlands have a good chance of reaching the knockout stages before the last matchday, and Senegal can still hope with three points in Group A. “We’re still unbeaten and we’re still in control,” said van Dijk. Hosts Qatar, on the other hand, were eliminated early.
Van Gaal once again left his long-injured star Memphis Depay on the bench. That was okay because, like in the first game, the young Gakpo delivered. Ecuador’s goalkeeper Hernán Galindez had no chance with his powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area into the left corner. It was the second goal at this World Cup for the PSV Eindhoven attacking player, although the 23-year-old has only played eleven international matches.
And van Gaal saw his words confirmed before the game. “He’s a player with a lot of talent, but he’s very young,” said the 71-year-old. Gakpo, who played a little more attacking than he beat Senegal 2-0, became only the second Dutch player to score in his first two World Cup games. The first was – of course – Depay 2014 in Brazil. It was Ecuador’s first goal after a remarkable 701 minutes.
Ecuador with more access to the game
But the further course of the game should not have pleased the discipline fanatic van Gaal. Ecuador gained more and more access, became more self-confident. In many offensive actions, which mainly took place on the wings, only the last pass was missing. In injury time, Elftal still got the reward for their increasingly passive defense – at least that’s what the 44,833 fans in the Chalifa International Stadium thought. Pervis Estupiñán (45.3) put the ball in, but Jackson Porozo, who was offside, blocked keeper Andries Noppert’s view. Referee Mustapha Ghorbal from Algeria rightly did not give the goal.
Van Gaal reacted anyway, brought in Depay for the ineffective Steven Bergwijn. But Ecuador scored the goal – and this time it counted. An Estupiñán shot was blocked by Noppert right at the feet of Valencia, who scored his third goal of the tournament. For the 33-year-old, it was his sixth consecutive World Cup goal without anyone else scoring for Ecuador. According to data service provider Opta, only Portugal’s Eusebio in 1966, Italy’s Paolo Rossi in 1982 and Russia’s Oleg Salenko in 1994 had previously achieved this.
At home, Valencia should have triggered a massive party. The country’s Ministry of Education had closed all schools and universities specifically for the game in order to strengthen the sense of togetherness. And it almost got better. Gonzalo Plata (59th) hit the crossbar with his flick, only centimeters were missing for the lead. But the Ecuadorians also celebrated the draw in the stadium.
