HOLLAND – ECUADOR | Friday 5pm
A big sigh of relief for the Netherlands, who struggled more than expected to beat a resilient Senegal in their opener, only opening the scoring in the final minutes with goals from Gakpo and Klaassen. Louis van Gaal’s Oranje repeatedly threatened to concede goals against a sloppy opponent, who proved to be very dangerous even without their star player Mané. Instead, De Ligt and his team-mates limited themselves to managing possession, only to punish the African selection at the right moment, also taking advantage of a couple of mistakes by the opponent’s goalkeeper Mendy. In any case, three very important points – for the Netherlands it was the umpteenth positive result, the last defeat dating back to Euro 2020 – arrived against what is probably the direct competitor for first place, despite Ecuador’s success against a very modest Qatar.
The South Americans only needed a brace from experienced striker Enner Valencia – it would have been three had it not been for the Var system cancelling out the first – to get the better of the hosts, who appeared decidedly uncompetitive at this level. Tri’s goal now is to play for second place on the third day against Senegal, while trying to snatch at least a point from the Oranje. A difficult but not impossible task, especially if the defence of the national team led by Argentine Alfaro continues to be so solid at the back. With the clean sheet against Qatar, it is now seven games in a row in which Ecuador have managed to keep their goal unbeaten.
Holland-Ecuador: latest line-up news
Enner Valencia celebrates with teammates
Van Gaal will reintroduce the three-man defence made up of de Ligt, van Dijk and Aké. No changes in midfield either, where Blind and Dumfries will occupy the flanks, while in the middle the experienced coach will rely on Frenkie de Jong and Berghuis. One of the best on the pitch against Senegal was Psv Eindhoven’s Gakpo, who in addition to scoring a goal showed several good things. The main doubt for the former coach of Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich concerns the presence of Depay, who is still not at his best and on Monday took over and half an hour from the end: if he does not make it, Janssen will be ready again.
In Ecuador’s headquarters, the Valencia question is on the table. The Fenerbahçe striker, his national team’s most prolific ever, is expected to grit his teeth despite the knee problem that forced him off the pitch in the match against Qatar. Nonetheless, Alfaro will re-propose the 4-4-2, with the only change likely to be in the attack, where Sarmiento seems to be ahead of Estrada.
The prediction
It looks set to be another tricky afternoon for the Netherlands, who like several national teams are paying the price for the absence of a heavy centre forward in the centre of attack. The Oranje, however, are on a long winning streak, are confident and should be able to get at least a point in the match against Ecuador: it goes without saying that a victory would allow them to put an important mortgage on qualification. As for the South Americans, much will depend on the presence of Valencia, who came off injured in the Qatar match. In any case, Alfaro’s men have shown that they have a solid defence, which even Holland could struggle to break through. Both should score on at least one occasion.
The Netherlands v Ecuador matchday squad
- LAND (3-4-1-2): Noppert; de Ligt, van Dijk, Aké; Dumfries, F. de Jong, Berghuis, Blind; Gakpo; Depay, Bergwijn.
- ECUADOR (4-4-1-1): Galindez; Preciado, Torres, Hincapié, Estupinan; Plata, Caicedo, Mendez, Ibarra; Sarmiento; Valencia.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
