On November 26 (Beijing time), the Netherlands and Ecuador drew 1-1 to end their Group A second round match at the Qatar World Cup. However, this draw resulted in the host Qatar being eliminated from the match after just one round, making them the first team to do so.
As the World Cup’s famous “uncrowned king,” the Netherlands has reached the finals three times, all of which were the runners-up.
Furthermore, the Oranje reached the finals for the first time in eight years. The Netherlands defeated Senegal with the score of 2-0 in the first round despite the absence of Mane. The opponent Ecuador also won the second round, defeating the host Qatar with the score of 2-0. The Netherlands are ranked eighth in the latest FIFA World Rankings, while Ecuador is ranked 44th. This is the first time the two teams have met in a World Cup.
After only six minutes, Klaassen sent in an assist from the box, and Gakpo fired home to give Netherlands a dream start. Gakpo’s goal was the fastest ever scored at the start of a World Cup, according to statistics.
Ecuadorian left winger Eduardo Estupinian was injured early in the match and was briefly treated by the team doctor before returning to the game. The Netherlands took the lead in the fifth minute, with the score of 1-0. Ecuador kicked the ball on the side in the 11th minute after the Netherlands took the lead.
Following that, Ecuador had a string of offensive opportunities. Enner Valencienech fired a powerful shot in the 31st minute that Norbert leaped to save over the line.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Ecuador’s final goal came from a corner kick, but the referee determined that an Ecuadorian player had blocked the goalkeeper’s view while offside.
The Netherlands’ forward pass was intercepted at the beginning of the second half, and Estupinian dribbled into the penalty area before shooting with his foot. When Valencia scored his third World Cup goal, Netherlands drew 1-1 with Ecuador.
Gakpo scored for Netherlands in the first round against Senegal and now became the first player to score in consecutive matches against Ecuador. Ecuador mounts an incredible comeback after conceding a goal. However, the goal was disallowed because the player was offside and interfered with the goalkeeper.
The Netherlands made a defensive error in the 49th minute of the second half. Enner – Valencia added the final goal, assisting Ecuador in scoring. Following that, neither team had many scoring opportunities, and the score remained the same through six minutes of stoppage time before the two teams finally shook hands. This draw gave the Netherlands a huge upset. Some claim that they are incapable of defeating Ecuador, a so-called pseudo-strong team. Furthermore, the Netherlands failed to win an unprecedented eight consecutive World Cup group matches. They were also denied the opportunity to tie Brazil and Belgium for the longest winning streak in a World Cup group stage.
The draw was bad news for Qatar, the hosts. With the Netherlands and Ecuador both on four scores, Qatar fell out of the top two and was eliminated in the group stage, becoming only the second host in World Cup’s history to be eliminated in the first round.