Summary
After Australia took the honours in Sydney, Ecuador evened the ledger in Melbourne in the second of two friendlies this international break. The South Americans were good value for their victory, with second-half goals from Pervis Estupiñán and William Pacho securing the result.
Both teams were much-changed and it was the Socceroos who started the brightest in an opening 20 minutes played at breakneck speed. With the ball hardly ever in the possession of one team for more than a couple of passes, Australia’s forward press hassled and harried La Tri’s defence into a series of errors.
The goal came from that type of industry with captain for the night Jackson Irvine rampaging through broken play down the left, feeding Craig Goodwin inside him, and the World Cup goalscorer striking the right-hand upright with a powerful drive. Brandon Borrello was in an offside position when the shot was taken, but he was not flagged when he put the ball in the back of the net to cap an effervescent individual display.
Thereafter, positive moments were few and far between for the hosts who relied on debutant goalkeeper Joe Gauci to rescue them with two brilliant one-on-one saves from the powerful Kevin Rodriguez. The big centre forward showed strength and pace all night, keeping Thomas Deng and Bailey Wright occupied, and it was little surprise when Deng conceded a penalty after Rodriguez broke free on a typically bullocking run. Gauci could do nothing with Pervis Estupiñán’s expertly taken spot kick.
Ecuador smelled blood – literally, as well as figuratively, with Cameron Devlin’s eyebrow gushing like the Icelandic Geysir following a first-half collision, in a “friendly” unworthy of the name. And their second-half dominance was confirmed when William Pacho rose highest to glance an out-swinging corner in off the far post.
There was still time for a promising international debut for Jordan Bos and more madcap scrapping in midfield (Moisés Caicedo was lucky to receive only one yellow card all night) before the final whistle. A sound heard by just over 27,000 fans in Melbourne, well below the hoped-for 50,000.
Thank you for joining me tonight. Stay tuned for Emma Kemp’s thoughts tomorrow.
Updated
Full-time: Australia 1-2 Ecuador
Ecuador exact their revenge, running out deserved winners.
