Ecuador knocks Chile down with a 2-0 win and gets closer to the World Cup

The podium, with the right to a direct ticket to the World Cup in Qatar, is already beginning to be the comfort zone of the Ecuadorian team, which this Tuesday beat Chile 2-0 in Santiago, for the first time as a visitor in 56 years of qualifying matches .

South American Qualifiers standings table

The Ecuadorian victory was achieved with the goals of the full-back Pervis Estupiñán at 8 minutes and the midfielder Moisés Caicedo at 90 + 2 in a match where the Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal was expelled (14) and Eugenio Mena and Alexis left minutes later due to injuries. Sanchez.

Chile lived one of those nightmare nights mainly in the first half, where they received the goal of defeat, lost Vidal by expulsion and Alexis Sánchez and Eugenio Mena due to injury, which facilitated the game of Ecuador, which in addition to achieving a great victory in the World Cup, it is the first he has achieved on Chilean soil in qualifying.

With this result, Ecuador remains third in the tie with 23 units, while Chile falls to sixth place with 16 units.

Brazil leads the table with 35 points and Argentina, thanks to the victory of La Tri, secured a ticket to the World Cup, becoming the second classified in Conmebol along with Canarinha.

Lasarte’s worst nightmares

The problems for coach Martín Lasarte occurred in just 45 minutes: When the game was just playing its first minutes and Chile began to impose conditions, a center from the right was cleared by the local defense to the other side where Pervis Estupiñán received only the ball and with a furious shot he nailed the ball into Claudio Bravo’s goal.

Chile took the situation calmly until Arturo Vidal, in a dispute over the ball, hit a violent kick between the chest and the face of defender Félix Torres, so King Arthur was expelled by the Argentine referee Fernando Rapallini.

But that was not enough. Chile’s late Halloween would be completed with the injuries of Eugenio Mena and then Alexis Sánchez, who had to leave the field.

Faced with the Chilean catastrophe, Ecuador had clear opportunities to increase the score, but their forwards failed to achieve.

Judgment in the additional

With 10 men on the field, Chile went out to seek equality with more desire than soccer against a physically whole Ecuadorian team and that waited for its opportunity to deliver the coup de grace that came at the end of the game, when midfielder Moisés Caicedo escaped outside from the Chilean area and with a strong shot he beat Bravo.

Thus, the Ecuadorians consolidate that third place in the qualifiers that seems unattainable for their rivals

For Chile it is a hard blow after three consecutive victories, and Lasarte’s squad once again complicates their options to go to the World Cup. (D)