Enner Valencia, who scored twice for Ecuador on Sunday evening in the opening match of the World Cup against host country Qatar (0-2), may miss the game against the Netherlands. The 33-year-old Fenerbahçe striker has problems with his knee and ankle and was therefore taken to the side more than ten minutes before the end as a precaution. Valencia indicates that it does not feel good, although national coach Gustavo Alfaro is more hopeful.
The Argentinian coach spoke to the press about his injured captain after the opening match won. “He will play against the Netherlands. There is no doubt about that.” Valencia itself was slightly less positive. “Now, so close to the game, it doesn’t feel right,” said the Ecuadorian. It therefore seems to be a race against the clock in terms of his employability against the Netherlands: kick-off will take place at 5 p.m. at the Khalifa International Stadium next Friday.
Alfaro was full of praise for his team, which had already dealt with Qatar before the break. “We have achieved a clear victory. Hopefully this is the start of something big, something we’ve been hoping for for a long time. This was the most important duel, in which we had to break historical myths.” The Argentinian national coach is far from satisfied. “This is not enough: we have only just begun. We have to confirm it in the next games.”
“We have to improve if we want to go to the next round. I’m not completely happy, but I’m calm because we did what we had to do,” Alfaro concluded. Ecuador can calmly go and see what the team of national coach Louis van Gaal will do against Senegal on Monday evening. The the Dutch kicks off against the Africans at 5 p.m. Senegal has to do without star player Sadio Mané, who has to miss the entire World Cup due to an injury.
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