Both the sides having enjoyed a 2-0 win in their respective opening games, were keen to establish superiority in this encounter & Netherlands nosed ahead in the 5th minute, when Gakpo took a quick feint to the left & hammered a fantastic left footer from the edge of the box into the left corner of the net. Netherlands were up & running with the fastest goal of the tournament till now.
Ecuador came pressing back & the midfield was totally dominated by them, as the Dutch clutched for control. Ecuador seemed to have equalised just before break, when Estupinan got a loose ball from a melee & his shot went past a diving Noppert into the net, but got ruled out for a debatable offside. An incensed Ecuador pleaded with the referee to reverse the decision without any success, as the half time whistle was blown.
Within minutes of the 2nd half Ecuador came roaring back, as Estupinan found open spaces to steam through & lay a low pass inside the box, and Valencia stabbed the ball into the net to level the scores. With his 3rd goal of the tournament till now, making him the leading scorer so far, the Talisman player had his sixth consecutive goal for the country, putting him in the esteemed company of Eusebio, Paulo Rossi & Salenko.
Ecuador were the better team on the pitch today, though they would feel gutted, not to have won the contest, after a superlative display. The result would leave both teams well placed to proceed to the next round, with Qatar becoming the first team to be eliminated from the tournament. Ecuador Captain & talisman player Valencia was stretchered out of the ground just before the final whistle, clutching his knee - hopefully, its not a major injury, as his team will need him fit for the next round.
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