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Ecuador

The Players

1 - Edwin Villafuerte
2 - Jorge Guagua
3 - Ivan Hurtado
4 - Ulises De la Cruz
5 - Jose Perlaza
6 - Patricio Urrutia
7 - Christian Lara
8 - Edison Mendez
9 - Felix Borja
10 - Ivan Kaviedes
11 - Agustin Delgado
12 - Cristian Mora
13 - Paul Ambrossi
14 - Segundo Castillo
15 - Marlon Ayovi
16 - Luis Valencia
17 - Geovanny Espinoza
18 - Neicer Reasco
19 - Luis Saritama
20 - Edwin Tenorio
21 - Carlos Tenorio
22 - Damian Lanza
23 - Cristian Benitez

The Games

First round (Group A):

  • Ecuador vs Poland - 9 June, 2000 BST, Gelsenkirchen
  • Ecuador vs Costa Rica - 15 June, 1400 BST, Hamburg
  • Ecuador vs Germany - 20 June, 1500 BST, Berlin
  • Factoids

    How they got there: Made it with a game to spare and finished third in the group. Beat both Argentina and Brazil along the way, but all of their victories came at altitude, seven at home in Quito and one away to Bolivia.

    Qualifying star: Centre-half Geovanny Espinoza was the only player in South America to play in all 18 qualifiers. He holds the defence together, is commanding in the air and has shown great improvement on the ground.

    Manager: Luis Fernando Suarez - a Colombian, like his predecessor Hernan Dario Gomez, who took Ecuador to their historic first World Cup in 2002. Suarez took over after the 2004 Copa America and made a quick impression, discarding older players and rebuilding the team.

    Captain: Ivan Hurtado is a cultured centre-back who seems to have been around for ages. Has nearly 130 caps to his name and is still only 31.

    World Cup history: Not enough to fill a postcard. The 2002 finals were their debut and they were eliminated in the group phase.

    World Cup high: Beating Croatia in their final group game in 2002 - an excellent result against the team which had come third in the previous World Cup.

    World Cup low: Their baptism against Italy when they looked totally overawed in the first half hour and soon found themselves two goals down.

    World Cup legend: Gangling Agustin Delgado's goals got them through qualification in 2002, he scored their first World Cup goal and, although a bit lumbering these days, he was their joint top scorer in this campaign.

    Stars of the team: Edison Mendez - who scored the winner against Croatia - is a quality midfielder with a vicious shot. High hopes also surround 20-year-old midfielder Luis Valencia, though has struggled to adapt at Villarreal.

    Strengths: A clear tactical approach. Ecuador have moved away from the tip-tap short passing through the middle style that characterized their game. Now they keep the middle tight and look to strike quickly down the flanks.

    Weaknesses: A lack of European experience - they've only ever played four full internationals in Europe. A defence that can be caught flat and, if Espinoza is taken out, is all over the place in the air and goalkeeping is problematic.

    Did you know? Ecuadorian football did not begin with the 2002 World Cup. They produced the all-time top scorer in the Copa Libertadores in 1960s legend Alberto Spencer, who mainly starred for Penarol of Uruguay. His surname is explained by the fact his father was Jamaican.

    World ranking: 39

    Wordcup Statistics

    YearCountryPlaced
    1930 Uruguay -
    1934 Italy -
    1938 France -
    1950 Brazil -
    1954 Switzerland -
    1958 Sweden -
    1962 Chile -
    1966 England -
    1970 Mexico -
    1974 Germany -
    1978 Argentina -
    1982 Spain -
    1986 Mexico -
    1990 Italy -
    1994 USA -
    1998 France -
    2002 Korea/Japan 4th, group G

    What are the odds

    Odds: 400/1

    Odds supplied by William Hill.

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