Ecuador is one of the three opponents of the Dutch national team in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar. The South American country remained unbeaten in the last seven games and only conceded one goal. The country left several major countries behind in the World Cup qualification. Presenter Kalum van Oudheusden took the plane to Ecuador and gauged the mood. “Our main goal is to beat Qatar.”
By Kalum van Oudheusden
Ecuador is participating in a World Cup for the fourth time this year in favor of major football countries such as Colombia and Chile. Ecuador does not have a real star player from a European superpower, but the selection does have a number of recognizable names. Captain Enner Valencia has long been a furore at Everton and West Ham United and the striker now plays as a regular starting force at Fenerbahçe, where he has a good taste this season. In Ecuador, too, people are cautiously optimistic when the chances for the World Cup are discussed. “We are in shape and we have very good players,” says one of the fans.
Watch the report of Football Zone’s visit to Ecuador below:
In South America, the four best countries in the qualifying group will advance to the World Cup. Ecuador finished fourth, trailing Peru by two points. In the qualifying series la Tri beat Colombia 6-1 and also beat Uruguay 4-2. While Ecuador scored easily in qualifying, it failed to find the opponent’s goal in recent friendly matches: Japan and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 twice. Also in June, when against Mexico, Nigeria and Cape Verde, Ecuador only scored twice.
“Our main goal is to beat Qatar,” said one of the supporters. “Hopefully we will get a draw against the Netherlands.” The Ecuadorians agree on the greatest danger with the the Dutch. “Memphis Depay. That’s a hero, really a hero.” Another mentions Frenkie de Jong. “I love De Jong.” In addition to the good form and the strong selection, the will to win is also mentioned as an important factor for the the Dutch opponent. “We are born with that. We are going to make it very difficult for the Netherlands. We want to win against the the Dutch, but the question is whether the Netherlands will just give in.”
Pride
Apart from the fact that Ecuador scores difficult, it also concedes few goals. In the five exhibition games mentioned above, there was no loss and the country did not have to collect a single hit. Ecuador kicks off the World Cup next Sunday with host country Qatar. The meeting with the Netherlands is scheduled for November 25, after which the group stage will be concluded against Senegal on November 29. “We are very proud that Ecuador will play the World Cup. Hopefully we will reach the final phase. We will always fully support the team.”
Kalum van Oudheusden is a full-time video journalist, presenter and program maker at Voetbalzone and makes exclusive interviews and various programs, among other things.