Match report: Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador
Group A: “Ecuador can be far happier with this draw because after conceding early, Gustova Alfaro’s team played played front-foot football that went close to administering a fatal blow to the Netherlands.” Jamie Jackson reports from Doha.
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A quick recap: Cody Gakpo put the Dutch a goal up in the sixth minute, a goal that was cancelled out by Enner Valencia a few minutes after half-time. But while the scores finished level, the performances were anything but and Ecuador are likely to feel aggrieved at not taking all three points. They had their European opponents under extreme pressure for long periods, particularly throughout the second half and came close to scoring a second goal on several occasions.
Full time: Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeep! It’s all over and the points are shared, which means the host nation Qatar cannot now qualify for the knockout stages, however well they perform in their final group game against the Netherlands.
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90+5 min: Sarmiento sends the ball into the Dutch penalty area from the corner flag. His outswinger comes off the head of Virgil Van Dijk.
90+4 min: Preciado and Sarmiento combine down by the corner flag as Ecuador try to get a cross into the Netherlands penalty area. They win a corner.
90+1 min: Into six minutes of added time we go. On for only his second international appearance, Rodriguez almost scores. Noppert tries to kick the ball upfield and sees his life flash before his eyes as the ball hits the Ecuadorian substitute’s back and ricochets wide of the goal.
89 min: Enner Valencia leaves the field on a stretcher in a state of affairs that does not bode well for his future participation in this tournament. Ecuador double-substitution: Rodriguez and Ibarra on for Valencia and Plata.
89 min: There’s a break in play as Valencia receives treatment.
87 min: Denzel Dumfries sends a cross into the Ecuador penalty area but the ball ends up in the hands of Hernan Galindez. Ecuador’s playersa are unhappy as the Dutch played on with Enner Valencia on the ground apparently nursing the knee he injured on Monday.
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85 min: Nathan Ake is hacked down by Caicedo as he tries to gallop up the inside-left. The Ecuadorian is lucky to escape a booking but the Netherlands have a free-kick in a decent position to get the ball into the box. It’s not good enough, however – Steven Berghuis’s delivery is atrocious and fails to clear the first man.
83 min: Ecuador throw-in, halfway inside the Dutch half. The Netherlands win possession back and the ball finds it’s way to Noppert, who wellies it high upfield.
82 min: Into the final 10 minutes (and the rest) we go, with Ecuador very much in the ascendency in this second half. Whatever the outcome of Groups A and B one suspects England would fancy them over the Dutch in the Round of 16, but on the evidence of this second half Gareth Southgate’s side would be foolish to take them even remotely lightly.
79 min: Netherlands double-substitution: Wout Weghorst and Marten de Roon replace Cody Gakpo and Teun Koopmeiners.
78 min: Gakpo is penalised again, this time for a foul on Jhegson Mendez near the halfway line.
76 min: Timber tries to rob Sarmiento of possession near the halfway line but is penalised for fouling him.
74 min: Ecuador substitution: Jeremy Sarmiento joins his Brighton and Ecuador teammates Moises Caicedo and Pervis Estupinan on the pitch. Michael Estrada makes way.
73 min: Cody Gakpo runs on to a through ball, lifts it over the onrushing goalkeeper and watches as it bounces agonisingly wide of the far post. It wouldn’t have counted as he was offside.
71 min: Cody Gakpo is penalised for a cynical shove on Estupinan, grounding the Ecuador man and conceding a free-kick far from his goal. Nothing comes of it.
70 min: Nathan Ake tries to run the ball out of the Dutch defence, is pressed by Enner Valencia, turns and plays the ball backwards.
69 min: Netherlands substitution: Steven Berghuis on for Davy Klaassen.
67 min: The Dutch enjoy a period of sustained possession and get the opportunity to take a breath, their first in a while. Not for the first time in this game, they’ve spent several minutes on the ropes.
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64 min: Nathan Ake sticks out a leg to prevent Estrada striking with any kind of conviction as the ball came his way from Estupinan, who is absolutely terrorising the Netherlands down the left wing. The shot is feeble and Noppert collects.
63 min: Van Dijk does well to control a bouncing ball and hoof it clear under pressure from Estrada as Ecuado attack on the counter. The Netherlands are shredding the nerves of their supporters here with some serious backs-to-the-wall defending against an Ecuador side whose tails are up.
62 min: Estupinan sends a cross into the Dutch penalty area which Daley Blind tries to hook clear while facing in his own goal with Moises Caicedo breathing down his neck. His clearance is unconvincing but will do.
61 min: The Dutch got away with a couple there, Van Dijk and then the woodwork coming to their recue in very quick succession.
59 min: Nothing comes of the Dutch free-kick and Ecuador work their way upfield again. The ball’s pulled across the Dutch penalty area for Valencia, whose shot is blocked by Virgil van Dijk. The ball breaks to Gonzalo Plata, who curls a shot on to the upright!
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57 min: Fouled by Piero Hincapie, Cody Gakpo wins a free-kick for the Netherlands. Jhegson Mendez is retrospectively booked for a foul on Depay in the build-up, the referee having played advantage. He’ll miss Ecuador’s next game as it’s his second booking of the tournament.
54 min: Ecuador win a throw-in deep in Dutch territory. Preciado takes it, receives the return pass and links up with Valencia. The right wing-back is unable to keep the ball in play and it rolls out for a Dutch goal kick.
51 min: The Dutch players appealed for offside in the wake of that goal but to no avail. Nathan Ake was playing Valencia on as he followed up to equalise. It’s difficult to blame Noppert for parrying the ball into his path as his one-handed save from Estupinan’s low drive was quite sensational.
GOAL! Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador (Valencia 49)
Ecuador draw level! Estupinan’s shot is saved brilliantly by a strong Noppert left hand but the goalkeeper can only parry the ball into the path of Enner Valencia, who smashes home from close range.
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46 min: Ecuador win a free-kick just inside the Dutch half. Estupinan sends the ball to the edge of the Dutch penalty area, where his own team-mate Estrada heads clear for the opposition.
Second half: Netherlands 1-0 Ecuador
46 min: The second half kicks off and the Netherlands have made a change. Memphis Depay replaces Steven Bergwijn.
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That disallowed goal. Ecuador took a corner. The ball was played to the near post, where Moises Caicedo played it away from goal , teeing up Angelo Preciado for a shot on goal. He fired from long range and his effort was diverted past Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert by Estupinan from the edge of the six yard box. Unfortunately for Ecuador, their defender Jackson Porozo was standing in an offside position directly in front of Noppert, blocking the goalkeeper’s view of proceedings.
Half-time: Netherlands 1-0 Ecuador
Peep! Mustapha Ghorbal blows for half-time and walks off listening to a chorus of protests from several Ecuadorians. The Dutch lead courtesy of Cody Gakpo’s fine strike in the sixth minute but certainly haven’t had it all their own way. Ecuador have given them plenty to think about and thought they’d equalised on the stroke of half-time, only to have Pervis Estupinan’s shot ruled out for offside.
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Ecuador have a goal disallowed ...
Oh my! From the corner Estupinan gets the ball into the Dutch goal and wheels away in celebration but his “goal” is ruled out for offside. One of his team-mates was standing in front of the goalkeeper blocking his line of sight but we’ll have time to get to the bottom of exactly what happened in a few moments.
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45+ 2 min: Timbner fouls Estrada to give Ecuador a free-kick a long way out, wide on the left. Estupinan sends the ball into the penalty area and his delivery is excellent but Enner Valencia can only head wide under pressure. His effort goes out off a Dutch head and it’s a corner for Ecuador.
45 min: Denzel Dumfries canters up the left flank and tries to play a one-two with Steven Bergwijn. Upon receiving the return pass he gets the ball caught under his feet and a promising move breaks down. We’ll have three minutes of added time.
42 min: Frenkie De Jong advances upfield with the ball at his feet but is dispossessed by the diligently backtracking Gonzalo Plata before he can offload it.
40 min: Enner Valencia and Denzel Dumfries are having a running battle off the ball and get a jovial ticking-off from Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal, who let’s them know he’s keeping tabs on their shenanigans.
38 min: A long diagonal from Nathan Ake towards Steven Bergwijn causes Ecuador all sorts of problems at the back. Piero Hincapie ploughs through the Dutchman and puts the ball out for a throw-in but somehow doesn’t concede a free-kick in a dangerous area.
36 min: “What is with De Ligt not playing?” asks Dechlan Brennan. “Injury? Or has he simply not maintained his unbeatable status from a few years ago.”
Well, he might be carrying a knock but I’m guessing he was dropped because he played conspicuously badly against Senegal in his side’s opening game.
33 min: Nothing comes of the set-piece and the Netherlands continue to lead courtesy of Cody Gakpo’s beauty in the sixth minute. With each performance the PSV winger is adding to his value in what promises to be an interesting extremely tedious January bidding war for his signature.
32 min: Oof! Enner Valencia cuts in from the left and unleashes a rasping drive that Andries Noppert does well to keep out. The Dutch goalkeeper dives to his right and puts the ball out for a corner.
30 min: The ball’s swung in from the corner flag, half-cleared by a defender and hoofed upfield for Enner Valencia to chase. Frenkie De Jong has a 20-yard head start on the Ecuador skipper and rolls the ball back to his goalkeeper Andries Noppert.
29 min: The Dutch seem to have weathered that five-minute Ecuadorian storm but have been left in no doubt that they are in a contest. They win themselves a corner.
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26 min: It’s taken a while but Ecuador have finally got a firm foothold in this game. They’re attacking the Dutch relentlessly at the moment and a c ross from Valencia is helped across the penalty area courtesy of an Estrada back-heel. His no-look delivery is a little behind Angelo Preciado, who is unable to steer the ball goalwards.
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24 min: Much, much better from Ecuador. They get forward again, with Estupinan’s cross from the left forcing Virgil van Dijk to head the ball clear while facing his own goal under pressure from Michael Estrada.
23 min: Ecuador attack down the right and then the left. Moses Caicedo gets to the byline and pulls the ball back into the Dutch penalty area trying to pick out Enner Valencia. The Netherlands hack clear.
20 min: Dumfries wins possession in midfield and drives forward with the ball at his feet. With Pervis Estupinan hanging out of his shirt, he runs into the immovable object that is Ecuador central defender Felix Torres and crumples to the ground.
19 min: Denzel Dumfries takes a throw-in deep in Ecuador territory from which the Dutch win another. His second delivery is headed clear.
17 min: Nathan Ake runs the ball out of defence for the Netherlands, playing the ball to Davy Klaassen in midfield. He tries to keep it moving but Ecuador intercept.
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14 min: Showing no ill effects from the knee injury he suffered on Monday, Enner Valencia advances down the left touchline at speed for Ecuador, holding off a defender. He ends up running the ball out of play for a goal kick.
13 min: The Netherlands players are all hustle and bustle, not giving their South American counterparts a moment to settle on the ball as they attempt to get out of their own half and get forward.
11 min: Ecuador free-kick, a long way out. The ball’s played wide to Preciado, who sends it into the Dutch penalty area. It’s headed across the face of the penalty area, half-cleared and breaks for Enner Valencia. His shot on the volley comes off the head of Virgil van Dijk.
8 min: A slightly shell-shocked Ecuador attempt to regain their composure after that early Dutch hammerblow, passing the ball around at the back. They venture out of their own half down by the halfway line only for Denzel Dumfries to nip in and put the ball out of play for a throw-in.
6 min: That’s a terrific finish from the highly sought after Cody Gakpo, who curls a fizzing left-footed shot past Hernan Galindez into the top corner from outside the Ecuador penalty area after being teed up by Davy Klaassen. Ecuador’s long run of over 11 hours without conceding comes to a very abrupt end.
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GOAL! Netherlands 1-0 Ecuador (Gakpo 6)
Cody Gakpo fires the Netherlands ahead!
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4 min: There’s an early break in play as the referee takes pity on Angelo Preciado, the Ecuadorian right wing-back who is sitting on the ground after shipping a blow to his crown jewels and looking in serious pain.
3 min: The Netherlands dominate possession in these early stages, aiming to beat a team that has not conceded a goal in any of its past seven matches.
2 min: There’s an excellent early interception from Piero Hincapie, who slides in to prevent Dutch defender Jurrien Timber from playing the ball down the inside right and in behind the Ecuador defence for Steven Bergwijn to chase.
Netherlands v Ecuador is go ...
1 min: Ecuador get the ball rolling, their players wearing navy shirts, white shorts and white socks. The players of the Netherlands wear all orange kit.
Not long now: Enner Valencia and Virgil van Dijk lead their teams out, following referee Mustapha Ghorbal and his team of match officials. They line up either side of the officials and it’s time for the national anthems.
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@bglendenning one of the highest (as in elevation) countries in the worked v one of the lowest #NEDECU
— PKelly (@paulkellington) November 25, 2022
Group A Match report: Qatar 1-3 Senegal. Paul MacInnes was at Al Thumama Stadium to see Senegal leave the host nation’s chances of advancing to the knockout stages hanging by an extremely frayed thread. Qatar now need Ecuador to beat the Netherlands or they will be reduced to playing against Louis van Gaal’s side for nothing more than pride in their final group game.
Those teams: For the second match in a row, Memphis Depay starts on the Netherlands bench, his recovery from a hamstring injury apparently not fully complete. Louis van Gaal makes two changes, with Jurrien Timber and Teun Koopmeiners coming in for Mattihjs de Ligt and Steven Berghuis.
Ecuador manager Gustavo Alfaro appears to be switching to a back five. He makes one change to the side that beat Qatar. Jackson Porozo comes in at centre-back while midfielder Romario Ibarra makes way.
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Netherlands v Ecuador line-ups
Holland: Noppert, Timber, van Dijk, Ake, Dumfries, Koopmeiners, Frenkie de Jong, Blind, Klaassen, Gakpo, Bergwijn.
Subs: Pasveer, de Ligt, de Vrij, Luuk de Jong, Depay, Berghuis, Lang, Bijlow, de Roon, Malacia, Janssen, Weghorst, Taylor, Simons, Frimpong.
Ecuador: Galindez, Angelo Preciado, Porozo, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan, Plata, Mendez, Caicedo, Estrada, Valencia.
Subs: Arboleda, Cifuentes, Pacho, Gruezo, Ayrton Preciado, Ibarra, Ramirez, Arreaga, Mena, Sarmiento, Palacios, Franco, Dominguez, Reasco, Rodriguez.
Qatar 1-3 Senegal: It’s all over in today’s other group game and the African champions have won. Qatar will be eliminated if the Dutch avoid defeat in their game against Ecuador. Should the Dutch win by three goals or more, Senegal will need just one point from their final fixture against Ecuador to advance to the knockout stages.
Qatar v Senegal: Bamba Dieng puts Senegal 3-1 up against Qatar with just six minutes left on the clock. The jig looks up well and truly up for the hosts despite a much improved second half performance.
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Key event
Qatar v Senegal: Mohammed Muntari has just come off the bench to score with a bullet header for Qatar against Senegal, reducing the host country’s deficit in the game to one goal. They trail 2-1 with 10 minutes (and the rest) to go and need another goal or they will need several snookers to qualify for the knockout stages. Boulaye Dia and Famara Diédhiou had put Senegal 2-0 up.
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Gustavo Alfaro speaks: “We have everything to win and nothing to lose,” said Ecuador’s manager ahead of today’s game. “I’m happy with my team. But Holland is a big rival. We have to be strong on all fronts, emotional and physical, and run them hard until they exit the pitch. What we did against Qatar will be insufficient against Holland or Senegal, we have to improve.”
Louis van Gaal speaks: “Ecuador is a stable team,” said the Netherlands manager in his pre-match press conference. “They’re physically strong with very clever players, shrewd players, which is why I believe that they are tougher than Senegal.”
Asked about the OneLove armband campaign and if his team have any protests planned for today, Van Gaal had this to say. ““No. We put a full stop after all the political issues past Thursday. We have this purpose and we’re not going to have that tarnished by the actions of FIFA or whichever other organisation. But I’ve already responded ... I think that’s enough.”
Today’s match officials
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal
Assistant referees: Mokrane Gourari and Abdelhak Etchial
Fourth Official: Said Martinez
Video Assistant Referee: Shaun Evans
Early team news
Not deemed fit enough to start for the Netherlands against Senegal, Memphis Depay got 30 minutes off the bench and could start in place of Vincent Janssen today. Louis van Gaal is expected to field an otherwise unchanged starting line-up.
Forced off with a knee injury 15 minutes to go in his side’s win over Qatar, two-goal hero Enner Valencia is expected to be fit to start for Ecuador. “Enner will play against the Netherlands, there’s no doubt about that,” said his manager Gustavo Alfaro.
Group A: Netherlands v Ecuador
The Khalifa International Stadium is the venue for the second of today’s Group A matches, where the Netherlands will take on Ecuador. Both sides won their opening games, with Ecuador recording a routine win against hosts Qatar in the tournament curtain-raiser, while the Netherlands left it late to see off Senegal a day later. Both sides will obviously fancy their chances of advancing to the knockout stages, particularly the Netherlands, who will face Qatar in their final group game.
The host nation, who look the weakest team in the group by far, are currently losing against Senegal elsewhere in Doha and will have practically no chance of qualifying for the last 16 unless they can take something from the game. Kick-off at the Khalifa is at 4pm but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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