The race for second place in Group E heated up after Ecuador beat Honduras 2-1, following Switzerland’s 2-5 loss to France just an hour earlier.
Both teams came out fired up, which saw both sides being sloppy at times. But some fairly good action back and forth finally resulted in a deep ball down the middle which found Carlo Costly, and the Honduran gave Los Catrachos their first World Cup goal in 32 years.
Ecuador didn’t wait long to strike back. Enner Valencia took advantage of a deflected pass that traveled through the box and tapped the Brazuca past Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares.
The next 10 minutes were fast paced, and both teams had chances. Honduras scored just before half, but Jerry Bengston’s hand ball off the rebound forced the goal to be disallowed.
After the half, Honduras came out firing, which saw Honduras defender Brayan Beckeles deep strike bagged beautifully by Alexander Dominguez. The next twenty minutes were uneventful. Ecuador started to break into the box and then earned a set piece on the left side of the 18. Walter Ayoví’s service found a leaping Enner Valencia who headed the ball right into the ground past Valladares, his second of the game and third of the tournament.
Ecuador went on to win the match, eliminating Honduras who haven’t won a World Cup game in their history. Ecuador will now face the mighty French who cruised through their first two games. It will be interesting to see who French manager Didier Deschamps fields in their next match with the first place position locked. Perhaps they rest starters, which could bode well for Ecuador. Ecuador can get away with a tie only if Honduras beats Switzerland, any other result would require a Ecuadoran victory for them to get out of the group.
