Gustavo Alfaro: I never go out to a match to tie it

Gustavo Alfaro would like to qualify for Qatar 2022 “in a big way, beating Brazil” in Quito on Thursday. The Ecuadorian coach, however, acknowledged that it is a “difficult rival, who has not lost in the qualifiers” for the next World Cup, although the strategist warned: “I never go out to a game to tie it”.

“You always have to have ambitions, recognizing the hierarchy of the rival. We respect it, but we are not afraid of it”, said this Tuesday the technical director of the Tri regarding the duel, on Thursday, with the Canarinha at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium, on the fifteenth date of the South American qualifier for the Qatar World Cup.

And he added at a press conference: “I told the players that, if we have to qualify, I would love to qualify in a big way, beating Brazil. Obviously they are a difficult rival, who have not lost in the knockout rounds, but I never go out to tie a game”.

Ecuador registers two wins in its history against the Brazilian team for World Cup qualifiers, both at the Atahualpa stadium, in Quito, with the minimum difference (1-0) and since the pre-world cup has the current format (all against all in two rounds) . The first celebration was on March 28, 2001, on the way to Korea-Japan 2002, and the second on November 17, 2004, on the way to Germany 2006. La Tri ended up qualifying for both world competitions.

In the current qualifier, Tite’s team is undefeated: eleven wins and two draws. In addition, it is the national team that scored the most goals, 27, and the one that received the least, 4.

“I am very respectful of the statistics, because they set the trends and out of 36 games (overall), Ecuador won only two. But the story is built with performance game by game, year by year. We don’t stop at those statistics,” Alfaro said.

The National Team strategist recalled that the tricolor team had already faced Brazil in the 2021 Copa América and the Verdeamarela could not win (1-1): “According to the statistics, the matches in which Brazil could not display their game were with Argentina (lost in the final with a goal by Ángel di María) and Ecuador”.

With 23 points in the standings after fourteen appearances, Mathematically, the Tricolor can secure their ticket to Qatar in the matches of the fifteenth and sixteenth dates (antepenultimate) of the qualifier. After Brazil, it will be time to visit Peru in Lima next Tuesday.

“There are those who say that Ecuador is already qualified (for the World Cup) and I say no. I don’t want to get infected with that success. The most difficult part is still missing, which is to close. With what has been done so far, it is not enough for us”, concluded Alfaro. (D)