Honduras lose 2-1 to Ecuador in Brazil

The 2014 Brazil Fifa World Cup fixture between Honduras and Ecuador was almost a perfect match with action swinging from end to end. Both sides missed many early chances with clear view to goal. They both pressed up high to win the ball after losing it. The match pace was sensational as the teams forced good goalkeeping saves. They produced quick inter-passing and physical combats in midfield.

Eno Valencia of Ecuador missed a seater after a long pass that by-passed the midfield and found him onside at the edge of the penalty area. His first touch was super but the second did not match it as he could not wrap his left foot well enough to direct the ball over and around the advancing goalkeeper. Honduras’ Carlo Costly received a similar long pass from the back and utilised the opportunity. The ball bounced once, and he took it in his strike and shot with his left shoelaces past the advancing keeper, Alex Dominguez.

In both cases, the men who delivered the passes were not pressed, he receivers’ of the ball were not picked up, neither were their runs tracked and the goalkeepers came off their line. Only the quality of the finishing was the difference.

The Ecuador equaliser came in different fashion. The hard running Paredes ran rings at the right channel and with the support of Montero, carved himself enough space to pull the trigger. The shot deflected off the defender to the far post. Enner Valencia sneaked behind the defence to tap the ball past a desperate Valladares to equalise. The goal came after committing a cardinal sin of not closing down and lack of tracking.   

It became a blow-by-blow affair, each team giving as much as they took. The midfield contest remained tight with duels in the middle third getting more physical. The all-South American encounter was entertainment value from start to finish as the teams spent most of the time in the attacking third.

Ecuador upped the stakes with a Valencia special from a dead ball situation taken from the left. Montero won the free kick, and Walter Ayovi drove a perfect out-swinger. Enner Valencia out jumped Carlos Carcia and headed the ball downwards to give the Ecuadorians the lead. The marking could have been better and the three-man wall from that angle should have blocked the ball. Honduras had the ability and power to respond, taking the fight to their opponents with renewed vigour. Ecuador were equal to the task defending the lead like wounded lions to protect the three points that keep them in the tournament a little longer.

Switzerland beat Ecuador 2-1 in 2014 Fifa World Cup

The Switzerland versus Ecuador match started at a fast pace, both teams showing tactical awareness and maturity. Naturally, the South Americans were technically superior and they were very quick off the marks and first on the ball. They probed for the opener from the onset, winning a corner within seconds.

The Swiss showed tactical organisation to absorb that pressure and then mount their attacks of their own. Montero was a thorn in the flesh on the left wing and won free-kick on his flank. A one man wall proved fatal as Eno Valencia headed home the resultant kick. The goalkeeper failed to organise the defence to pick up all men in the 12-yard box. The ball was sweetly whipped in, the defence remained static and the goalkeeper rooted to his line, allowing a free header that was hammered down with excessive power into goal.

The Europeans upped their game seeking an equaliser by attacking from both flanks, pushing and pressurising from all angles and firing long range shots from the right and left. They attempted intricate passing into the box winning several corners. Their short corner-kicks from the right were swerved to the far post while the longer version was often over-hit to the far post. The forward push exposed their defence, which became prone to dangerous counter-attacks that the Ecuadorians failed to utilise.

The second half began with a Swiss push that saw a corner on the left side within two minutes. The defence was static, the goalkeeper remained rooted to the ground and the shot man behind him did not jump, neither did Mehmedi’s marker. The Swiss striker did not need to jump either as he directed the free-header past a bemused goalkeeper.

There were several 3 versus 2s and seldom 3 versus 1s that were wasted by Switzerland as Ecuador were too sloppy and a little careless. This was a result the South Americans’ attacks that took all men forward looking for the winner. Montero was having a fantastic game as he was confident to take his men on. As soon as he was substituted, the attacking sting died and Ecuador were in big trouble as the game swung the other way immediately.

The match was having a scrappy ending and fighting spirit of the Swiss with probably the dying kick of the horse, saw them win a vital tackle, a match saving combat in the 18-yard box at a moment all felt Ecuador would kill off the game. The ball was received in midfield, a failed bid to halt a counter attack was played as advantage by the referee as the ball was played to the right flank and quickly switched to the left.

That counter attack was completed by a pass to the near post, and the ball was met by the left boot that sent the ball to the roof of the net. There was no time for a response for the South Americans who wasted it and gave it away in a silver platter.