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During today's World Cup match, the national teams of Poland and Ecuador met for the second time. Both teams had opportunities to shine, but with a two-goal lead in the duel, the representatives from South America - Ecuador, triumphed.
In the first minutes of the match, Carlos Tenorio scored the first goal after a pass from Agustin Delgado. Ten minutes before the end of the match, Poland's goalkeeper was defeated by Agustin Delgado himself. Although the Poles had several chances to score at the end of the match, they failed to capitalize on them.
Gelsenkirchen's "AufSchalke" arena, 52,000 spectators Referee: Toru Kamikawa (Japan) Poland 0 - 2 Ecuador 24' [0-1] Carlos Tenorio 80' [0-2] Agustin Delgado
Poland: Boruc, Jop, Baszczynski, Bak, Zewlakow, Sobolewski (67‘ Jelen), Krzynowek (77’ Kosowski), Szymkowiak, Smolarek, Radomski, Zurawski (84’ Brozek).
Ecuador: Mora, De la Cruz, Hurtado (69‘ Guagua), Espinoza, Reasco, Mendez, Castillo, Valencia, Tenorio, Delgado (83’ Urrutia), Tenorio (65‘ Kaviedes).
Coach Luis Suarez's Ecuadorian team played more confidently in the first half. After defender Neicar Reasco broke through, Luis Valencia struck the ball into the goal. Poland's goalkeeper Arturas Boruc easily blocked a long shot by Segundo Castillo.
The Polish team started the match with only one striker, which did not prove successful for them. Maciej Zurawski, who plays for Celtic, struggled against the opponents' defenders alone, without support from his teammates.
The first goal of the match came unexpectedly. Ulises de la Cruz passed the ball back into the field from the sideline, and Agustin Delgado headed it to Carlos Tenorio, who technically and with a header, scored it into Arturo Boruc's guarded goal.
Shortly after, de la Cruz passed the ball again from the sideline to Tenorio, who then passed it to former Southampton player A. Delgado, but the latter failed to capitalize on his opportunity.
Just before the end of the first half, the lively Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia tried to defeat Poland's goalkeeper himself, but he was unsuccessful and the first half ended with Ecuador's one-goal lead.
In the second half, the Poles woke up and started to attack more. The team coach, Pawel Janas, was not very satisfied with his players' performance in the first half.
Radoslaw Sobolewski, who played the whole match in defense, entered the penalty area and just as he took a shot, the ball was intercepted by the Ecuadorian Giovanny Espinoza who had a good performance today. Despite Poland's attempts to counterattack and take control, the Ecuadorian team did not allow their opponents to relax. Espinoza and Ivan Hurtado, who played excellently in defense, thwarted all of Poland's attempts to at least soften the result.
In the middle of the second half, Ecuador's captain I. Hurtado suffered an injury and had to leave the field. He was replaced by Jorge Guagua in the 69th minute.
With ten minutes left until the end of the match, the Ecuadorians scored the second goal and almost buried Poland's hopes of achieving a draw. Edison Mendez's precise pass to Ivan Kaviedes, who came on as a substitute, "cut through" the entire Polish defense. The latter unselfishly passed the ball to the team's most efficient player A. Delgado, who only had to score into an empty net.
At the end of the match, Poland hit the post and the crossbar twice, causing some anxiety for the Ecuadorians, but they were unable to score, and rightfully, the South American representatives triumphed in the match.
After this victory against Poland, the Ecuadorian national team becomes one of the most realistic candidates in their group to advance to the second stage of the World Cup. Luis Suarez's team, for whom this championship is only the second, topped Group A alongside the previously victorious German national team.
