QUITO – Félix Torres scored a goal in each half of a competitive game with two goals at permanent risk, so Ecuador bounced back and beat Uruguay 2-1 on Tuesday, thus eliminating the negative balance of points in the 2024 World Cup qualifications.
Agustín Canobbio put the visiting team ahead in the 38th minute, but Torres turned the game around with a stoppage time goal in the first half and another in the 61st minute.
“Those two goals were scored, I’m very happy, I’m very happy to add these two goals to my career and contribute to these two goals for us to get these three points,” Torres commented.
In the match of the second round of the playoffs, the participation of the 16-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder Kendry Páez also stood out.
When Ecuador showed its best football and continued those led by the Argentine Marcelo Bielsa in their own field, a play by Maximiliano Araújo on the left put a pass in the heart of the area for Canobbio to finish under and to score the first goal in 38 minutes.
Ecuador did not lose heart and continued to attack, as a result of which the tie came at the end of the first period.
Torres put in a powerful header to beat Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet. The Santos Laguna defender from Mexico added the second goal with a low shot, after which Ecuador locked themselves in their own territory.
Therefore, it is a defender who saves an Ecuador whose forwards do not look very dangerous due to the lack of space generation and a double line defense scheme that is used a lot. In 50 minutes Enner Valencia did not convert a shot from the penalty spot.
“The main thing is not to despair, we are despairing, we know how to tie it … we are not despairing, we know we will win it and that happened,” said Valencia.
“This is our first win and we will continue to make ourselves stronger here.”
In this match, Páez made his debut for the senior team, who sometimes showed a spirited game with precise passes moving all over the field.
Due to the result, Ecuador deducted three penalty points from which it started the qualifiers due to the irregular alignment of the player Byron Castillo in the previous qualifiers. In the first date of this tie, La Tri fell in its visit to Argentina, while Uruguay beat Chile 3-1.
On the next date, Ecuador will face Bolivia on October 12 in La Paz, while Uruguay will visit Colombia.
