SWITZERLAND 2-1 ECUADOR
A stunning finish and a result that will haunt Ecuador for years to come. It was by all accounts one of the slower games of the 2014 World Cup and yet this tournament found a way to provide excitement because that's simply how things are this edition.
A slow start to the game with things going according to script for the most part. Ecuador found little in the way of quality scoring chances, stifled by the Swiss defence while Switzerland looked the part of its #6 World Ranking until they got near the penalty area.
Ecuador was the team to surprise with the first goal in the 22nd minute. Given a cheap free kick beside the goal after a Stephan Lichtsteiner foul, Ecuador made no mistake with a header from 5 yards by Enner Valencia to give Ecuador the 1-0 lead. It was a questionable missed call that created the goal as Jorge Guagua set an illegal pick on Granit Xhaka who was marking Valencia. The referee missed it though and Ecuador surely weren't complaining.
That goal woke the Swiss up who turned up the pressure for the rest of the 1st half and desperate defending along with the halftime whistle bailed Ecuador out. It was a temporary relief though. On the field for less then 3 minutes, halftime substitute Admir Mehmedi headed home his own close-range goal from a set-piece to tie the game. More questionable defending as Carlos Gruezo barely moved to defend Mehmedi who was as good as unmarked.
Wasted chances from both teams set up a frantic last few minutes of the game. Ecuador looked close to a winner on multiple occasions. A free kick from 32 yards out took a strange deflection off the Swiss wall and forced a huge save from Diego Benaglio who was caught going the wrong way. Deep in to injury time, Antonio Valencia found Michael Arroyo in the area but he was unable to take the shot on the first touch and his second was blocked by Valon Behrami.
That set up the shock finish. Behrami took the ball upfield and despite being taken down, Behrami wisely played the advantage awarded by referee Ravshan Irmatov leading to an odd-man rush for Switzerland. Ricardo Rodriguez's cross with no time left found another substitute Haris Seferovic in the box who finished things off smartly. The whistle blew after the restart.
Smart finish by Switzerland and evidence of why you have to play to the whistle as Ecuador showed no back-checking whatsoever on the final play.
Goals
Switzerland: Admir Mehmedi (48'), Haris Seferovic (90+3')
Ecuador: Enner Valencia (22')
Discipline
Switzerland: Johan Djourou (84')
Ecuador: Juan Carlos Paredes (53')
Man of the Match
Xherdan Shaqiri was my choice and fans agreed. The tiny midfielder for Switzerland was all over the field and his dribbling ability and shooting was the source of the majority of the Swiss chances. Honourable mention to Ricardo Rodriguez who was a constant source of quality crosses and assisted both Swiss goals.
Key Moment
Phenomenal effort from Behrami with 30 seconds left to block Arroyo's shot, get up from a very hard foul and deliver the ball to Rodriguez to set up the winning goal. Dead tired at the end of the game, it took a ton of heart to make that play and was the only reason the game ended in favour of the Swiss and not potentially for Ecuador.
What we learned from Switzerland
They may have found a couple of strikers. Seferovic's contribution was minimal in his 15 minutes but Mehmedi looked the part of a central striker, contributing the goal through the air to start the second half and threatening in rushes with the ball. Some questions about assignments defensively and what Benaglio was doing on the Ecuador goal but I think Guagua's bodycheck was the biggest factor in that goal. Solid play otherwise.
What we learned from Ecuador
Not much that wasn't already known. They had some success on the wings with their speed and with long balls through the back line but couldn't finish and don't have a lot of natural finishers in their lineup. Alternated between being able to close out the Swiss attack effectively and completely disappearing which led to both goals. Inconsistent effort from Ecuador and it cost them dearly at the end.
Going Forward
The result that was expected but not the scoreline and how it happened. Ecuador needed at least a draw in this game and will rue that they missed out not just on the 1 point but that Arroyo could not finish his chance to give them a potential win. Switzerland will have a challenge with France but should see themselves through now with Honduras completing the group.
