There he goes, the wind in his flowing wheat-gold hair, arms outstretched, a big grin on his young Iggy Pop face as he runs to his family in the stands, clambering over stadium barriers. Sebastian Beccacece had pulled off a great heist. Ecuador’s 45-year-old Argentine manager had taken a team on the brink of a first-round exit, inspired them to a famous win over powerhouse Germany, and moved them into the knockouts.
“For as long as we’re still alive, we need to seek that light,” Beccacece said after the win. “We’re talking about an entire country that is now celebrating. Let them enjoy, let them have a beer, and celebrate with their friends and family members, those beloved ones that passed away. This Ecuadorian national team, it makes people fall in love with them, doesn’t it?”
