Gustavo Alfaro is graceful for the ‘final’ won in Chile and leaves a message to his detractors

Ecuador won in Santiago against Chile “a very difficult game, a final”, which leaves it at the gates of the Qatar World Cup 2022, summarized a graceful and relieved Gustavo Alfaro in the post-match press conference after the curtain fell on the fourteenth date of the Conmebol premundial.

Now La Tri accumulates 23 points, very far from the fourth and fifth, Colombia and Peru with 17.

“Never in the history of Ecuador the National Team had been able to win here in Chile, at most two draws in eleven games that had been played in qualifying rounds, and that is why, as we said with the players, ‘we came for our history and we came to change the game. history, ‘”said the Argentine helmsman who made his debut on the Ecuadorian bench in October 2020.

“Luckily they played a very good game, they played it very well, they played it very well. Unfortunately we could not define it (before), we had many very favorable opportunities to have defined it before, and when that happens, the party is usually open, “he added, since he praised the” self-love of Chile “for going to search” as it is the tie that allows him to put itself in party ”.

For this reason, Alfaro praised “the triumph of the group and not the team”, because “Ecuador had never achieved this and they are three vital points that put us closer and closer to the World Cup”.

The team led by Alfaro cut a streak of three consecutive wins for Chile, which remained in sixth position, out of all options and with a gloomy outlook ahead, with four dates remaining to conclude the World Cup.

Alfaro added that the squad “is very strong” and it is a topic that he just discussed with Ángel Mena, one of his trusted men.

“The group is very very strong, very convinced, beyond questioning, beyond things that always happen in all teams,” he said.

The Albiceleste coach, who for much of this year has been strongly criticized mainly for drawing up his squad lists and for experimenting with tactical systems different from the traditional 1-4-4-2, also dedicated space to his detractors.

“We have the strength despite having the youngest squad of the entire tie. We have the ability to have the strength to withstand all kinds of criticism, questioning, and the fabric of judgments as they have put us in all this time. Luckily the players are strong, they are emotionally well and we are looking further, because our dream makes us look further and not remain in the basement that all they do is condition the way, “he said.

The coach highlighted the temperance and manliness of the Chilean team despite its numerical inferiority from 18 minutes due to the expulsion of Arturo Vidal. Along these lines, he said that he hopes that the Ecuadorian soccer player will be nurtured by the characteristics of the Red elements as he learns from this type of “battles.” “(If) they add to everything the physical and technical conditions they have, Ecuador may be on the threshold of being able to form a good team,” he predicted.

Insisting on his speech, Alfaro affirmed that the plan for this last double date of 2021 was to leave Ecuador in the third position of the table and six out of six possible were met.

(D)