Game 26 Recap: Honduras 1-2 Ecuador

HONDURAS 1-2 ECUADOR

Wasn't the most technical or tactical display of soccer brilliance but it was an entertaining night in Curitiba as Ecuador put themselves right in the thick of contention for a knockout round spot from Group E.

Honduras broke a World Cup goal-scoring drought that dated back to 1982 but came up just short and find themselves in an almost insurmountable hole at the bottom of the group standings.

It was a physical game as expected. It took no longer then about 5 seconds for the first foul to be called and there were several cards and hard tackles throughout the match that had tempers high on both sides

It was also a game that was all about Ecuador striker Enner Valencia. The 25 year old newcomer to the national team notched a brace for Ecuador and the leading goalscorer in the Mexican league this year now has 3 goals in 2 World Cup matches and is averaging more then 1 goal every 2 games for his country.

Valencia's first chance came in the 20th minute after Emilio Izaguirre played Valencia onside on a long ball up the middle. Valencia brought the ball down neatly but pushed his shot too hard and it floated wide of the Honduran goal. Ecuador began to take control of the game but it was Honduras finding the back of goal first.

Yet another long ball (the game was full of them) made its way to Honduran striker Carlo Costly. Left alone after Jorge Guagua went for the ball, it was a clinical finish from Costly, hard and inside the near post for a 1-0 lead.

The Honduran lead was short-lived though. Just minutes later, Juan Carlos Paredes played a low ball through the box. No one on the Honduras back line was able to make a play on the ball and Enner Valencia snuck behind his man to tip the ball past Noel Valladares at the far post.

Bizarre play at the end of the first half. Carlo Costly got his head on to the end of a cross and rang the ball off the crossbar. It fell to Jerry Bengtson who directed to the back of the net. Honduras celebrated as the offside flag stayed down but the referee correctly saw Bengtson scored off his arm. It was no goal and a yellow card for Bengtson's troubles.

Ecuador continued to take over possession and momentum in the second half until the 65th minute when again Valencia struck. After Ecuadoran defenders missed a pair of free headers in the penalty area, the diminutive Valencia rose above everyone on a corner kick and headed inside the back post to give Ecuador the 2-1 lead and eventual victory.

Valencia volleyed home another ball in injury time that was called back due to an earlier handball on the play though.

Goals

Honduras: Carlo Costly (31')

Ecuador: Enner Valencia (34', 65')

Discipline

Honduras: Victor Bernardez (Yellow 7'), Jerry Bengtson (Yellow 45+3')

Ecuador: Antonio Valencia (Yellow 57'), Enner Valencia (Yellow 72'), Jefferson Montero (Yellow 80')

Man of the Match

Enner Valencia stole the show for Ecuador, nothing a brace in this game and putting himself in a tie for the Golden Boot race lead. Valencia was a constant thorn in the side of the Honduras defence and showed great versatility to his game, notching goals with both his speed and touch as well as his aerial ability.

Key Moment

After several wasted chances to begin the second half, Enner Valencia climbed above Juan Carlos Garcia and headed home the winning goal for Ecuador in the 65th minute.

What we learned from Honduras

Defensively still a lot of questions. Left players unaccounted for in the attacking third and really sloppy on the ball in their own penalty area. Showed a bit more attacking initiative but settled too often for long balls to Costly and Bengtson. Almost no movement through the midfield in the game and they struggled to sustain possession as a result.

What we learned from Ecuador

Made a mistake on the Honduras goal as Guagua challenged and got neither ball or man but otherwise held their opponent outside their penalty area for the second straight game. Showed some better finishing in this game but limited offensively to Enner Valencia. Felipe Caicedo had one bursting run up the middle in the opening stages and disappeared afterwards. Need to beat France in all likelihood to advance and need a second reliable option up front in order to be successful.

Going Forward 

Honduras need to beat Switzerland and get a lot of goals in the process if they want to advance. I don't see that happening although they're technically not out of it. Ecuador actually find themselves in second place right now on tiebreakers. But with the Swiss looking at 3 points against Honduras, they'll need a Herculean effort against France in order to advance to the knockout stage.