Ecuador

MATCH 9 – GROUP E

SWITZERLAND 2-1 ECUADOR

Goals-

SUI: Mehmedi 47′, Seferovic 90’+2;

ECU: E. Valencia 21′;

Venue : Estadio Nacional, Brasilia

Referee : Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

What a spectacular finish to the game! This is what you get in World Cup. This is the reason why football fans all over the world go crazy once in 4 years. An absolute nail biting finish. Just when everyone thought that it would be the first match to end as a draw in this edition of the World Cup, all those thoughts have been shattered by a visionary pass from the Liverpool FC target, Ricardo Rodriguez which was calmly finished by La Real forward Haris Seferovic. All this happened in seconds after a valiant tackle by Valon Behrami to deny Ecuador from wrestling away with 3 points. It was a mediocre contest all through the game but has suddenly sprung to life in the final minutes. Let’s look at how the game panned out.

TEAM LINE-UPS

Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Von Bergen, Djourou, Rodriguez, Inler, Xhaka, Behrami, Stocker (Mehmedi 46), Drmic (Seferovic 75), Shaqiri;

Ecuador: Dominguez, Guagua, Erazo, Paredes, Noboa, Montero (Rojas 76), W. Ayovi, Gruezo, A. Valencia, E. Valencia, Caicedo (Arroyo 70)

THE MATCH

What has been one of the most exciting finishes to a game, didn’t start off all the same. The match was a bit towards the boring side with no teams able to create as many chances as expected. It was Ecuador to lead in the first half, thanks to Enner Valencia’s header.

Enner Valencia – Towering high. Switzerland 0-1 Ecuador.

Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has made a tactical master class of a substitution after being unhappy with the sluggish start. And, it has paid off in less than 3 minutes, as the substitute Admir Mehmedi headed home a delightful corner from Ricardo Rodriguez.

Mehmedi – Tit for Tat.
Switzerland 1-1 Ecuador.

In the 61st minute, the linesman was harsh on the Swiss as he denied a close range effort from Drmic which came from a brilliant dummy by Xherdan Shaqiri.Everyone thought the game is all but over until the 91st minute. Antonio Valencia was surging forward with pace and has found Arroyo in the box who was denied by Valon Behrami by means of a brilliant last-ditch tackle. In the matter of seconds, the Swiss launch a terrific counter attack in full speed. Ricardo Rodriguez surged with pace on the left an has eventually found Haris Seferovic making an intelligent run away from the two center backs and has put in a brilliant pass dodging his marker. Seferovic has finished it close range with a delightful one touch finish. It was mere seconds from the first stalemate of the 2014 World Cup and then Haris Seferovic pops up to score a 92nd-minute winner for Switzerland. Delight for them, agony for Ecuador.

Seferovic – Late Drama.
Switzerland 2-1 Ecuador.

CONCLUSION

It was a thrilling end to a contest that had not always lived up to the drama and excitement we have already seen from most games in this World Cup. Switzerland are now on the front foot in the group and face France, who were winners later in the day, on June 20. A win will in all probability secure their place in the second round, but France were hugely impressive against Honduras and will be tough opponents. It’s all but decided regarding who is going to qualify from Group E. Although, it’d interesting to see who would top the group. My bet is on France, given their form and coordination against Honduras. If Switzerland have any hopes of topping the group, their performance should be taken to a level way above what has been seen in this game against Ecuador.

GROUP E

Switzerland

Ecuador

France

Honduras

OUTLOOK

It has been a good, long and yet a tiring wait of 4 years after the previous World Cup in South Africa. With the next edition starting in Brazil in less than 24 hours, I bring to you an overall review of the group and my predictions for Group E. It is going to be a rather one sided show by France and might very well top the group. For the second spot, it’s going to be a fight between Switzerland and Ecuador. I’d side towards Switzerland given their solid defense and very young and passionate front line in the form of Shaqiri, Seferovic and Granit Xhaka. Honduras who are hunting for their maiden World Cup victory would be looking forward to achieve it and might as well find it if they get their focus on the Ecuador game. With no further ado, let us jump into the team tactics and predicted starting XI of all the 4 teams in Group E.

SWITZERLAND

Nickname : Nati (The National Team)

FIFA Ranking : 6

Manager : Ottmar Hitzfeld

Team & Tactics

Switzerland being coached by the ex Bayern boss, der General, Ottmar Hitzfeld, have a very formidable defence. They have very agile wingers on both the flanks. Switzerland often maintain a very compact defence with both the wingers tracking back to help the defence and midfield. ‘Gott’mar Hitzfeld (Gott – God) likes to play the 4-2-3-1 formation with wingers tracking back.

The Rossocrociati are likely to field the defensive duo of the experienced Steve Von Bergen and the Arsenal turned Hamburger defender, Johan Djorou. The Juventus right-back Lichtsteiner and Wolfsburg left back Ricardo Rodriguez are expected to hold a tight and compact line at the back with wingers tracking back and bursting on the counter during attacks.

This resilient defence will be shielded by the Napoli duo Inler and Behrami. With Dzemaili, again from Napoli, on the bench, they have the depth required in case of an unexpected setback, which are being witnessed quite frequently in the footballing world these days.

Xherdan Shaqiri is the man who would be making most of the attacking for the Schweizer Nati. He is more of a Robben-esque player who loves to take on defenders from the right can cut in to unleash a powerful shot with his left foot. Granit Xhaka, the Borussia Monchenglad’bach talisman is the young player to watch out for in the strong Swiss squad. He is going to start as a second striker or a typical CAM. With Valentin Stocker, occupying the left flank and Real Sociedad striker Haris Seferovic playing as the #9, the Switzerland team looks complete and are very well on track to go further on the group stage. Although, Ecuador might just make it so the Switzerland have got to be vigilant.

Shaqiri – Leading the Swiss Guard.

Switzerland Squad In Full

Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Roman Buerki (Grasshopper), Yann Sommer (Basel).

Defenders: Johan Djourou (Hamburg), Michael Lang (Grasshopper), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg), Fabian Schaer (Basel), Philippe Senderos (Valencia), Steve von Bergen (Young Boys), Reto Ziegler (Sassuolo).

Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Eintracht Frankfurt), Valon Behrami (Napoli), Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli), Gelson Fernandes (Freiburg), Gokhan Inler (Napoli), Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Valentin Stocker (Basel).

Forwards: Josip Drmic (Nuremberg), Mario Gavranovic (Zurich), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg), Haris Seferovic (Real Sociedad), Granit Xhaka (Borussia Monchengladbach).

ECUADOR

Nickname : Amarillos (The Yellows)

FIFA Ranking : 26

Manager : Reinaldo Rueda

Team & Tactics

Their victory over Uruguay in the qualification stage helped them secure the World Cup spot. Their home form has been particularly impressive in the group stage. However, that is very little relevant to the Brazilian conditions.

They play a very fast paced game through the flanks with the Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia doing most of the work. They have a very fragile defensive wall and no proper central midfielders to orchestrate the play and hence their game mostly revolves around crossing the ball into the penalty area. They are expected to employ a 4-1-4-1 formation with two pacy wingers down both the flanks.

Valencia would be key to their hopes of qualifying into the knockout stage. His inconsistency in the past season in English Premier League would be a concern. Nevertheless, belief and confidence in oneself can always help you achieve the unexpected.

Antonio Valencia – Their biggest hope.

Ecuador Squad In Full

Goalkeepers: Alexander Dominguez (Liga de Quito), Maximo Banguera (Barcelona, Ecuador), Adrian Bone (El Nacional).

Defenders: Gabriel Achilier (Emelec), Walter Ayovi (Pachuca), Oscar Bagui (Emelec), Frickson Erazo (Flamengo), Jorge Guagua (Emelec), Juan Carlos Paredes (Barcelona, Ecuador.

Midfielders: Segundo Castillo (Al Hilal), Carlos Gruezo (Stuttgart), Renato Ibarra (Vitesse Arnhem), Fidel Martinez (Tijuana), Edison Mendez (Santa Fe), Christian Noboa (Dinamo Moscow), Luis Saritama (Barcelona, Ecuador), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United).

Forwards: Jaime Ayovi (Tijuana), Felipe Caicedo (Al-Jazira), Jefferson Montero (Morelia), Joao Rojas (Cruz Azul), Enner Valencia (Pachuca), Michael Arroyo (Atlante).

FRANCE

Nickname : Les Blues (The Blues)

FIFA Ranking : 17

Manager : Didier Deschamps

Team & Tactics

The bleak and dreary World Cup story of France continues. They qualified from the only 5 team group in the qualifying round with just one loss to Spain. After a rather unsound exit from the 2010 World Cup and the sacking of their head coach, Raymond Domenech. Ever since Didier Deschamps has taken charge of the French team, he has employed 4-3-3 which was custom made for athletic players. Too add to a brilliant tactian in the form of Deschamps in their arsenal, they have got a plethora of talented youth who have been featuring regularly in the Top-5 European leagues.

My personal observation of this French team is that, when they get going they are ruthless. But, there are often certain periods of time where they tend of lose concentration with wayward passing and often they need to maintain harmony in their movements and runs. They need to be very aware of the exact position of every player all the time which would help them make proper decisions on the field. They have got a pretty easy group to qualify from. But, what needs to be seen is whether they step on the gas and make this count because when they do step on the gas, they might do what they did against Jamaica in the friendly.

However, the loss of their main player Franck Ribery would upset their chances at hitting gold but they go have a very good cover for the left forward position in the form of the Real Sociedad winger, Antoine Griezmann. He has been in exceptional form over the last season for La Real and this would be a perfect platform to mark his potential and raise his value in the transfer market.

The expected starting XI would be the CB pairing of the two young CBs who have proven their potential in top clubs, Laurent Koscielny and the Real Madrid starlet, Raphael Varane. Digne and Debuchy, as fullbacks would be looking forward to put in crosses and make overlapping runs far wide. We might see a midfield trio of Matuidi, Cabaye and Pogba. Matuidi is the man you are looking for, in case of any fantasy dilemma in the midfield. Griezmann filling in the shoes of Ribery would occupy the left flank with the Marseille midfielder Valbuena on the right and Karim Benzema occupy the #9 role. We might also see Deschamps going with two forwards against Switzerland which hold a very tight defensive line at the back in which case Giroud would take the position of Valbuena.

In conclusion, for France to be one of the contenders for the title, they need to work more as a team and bring in the harmony and more fluidity. However, I don’t see them struggling in the group stages. A Quarterfinal position would be my prediction. Anything above, would only be possible by trying to get into the gear and make the most out of their talent.

Benzema – Huge Expectations

France Squad In Full

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Stephane Ruffier (Marseille), Mickael Landreau (Bastia).

Defenders: Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle), Lucas Digne (Paris St-Germain) Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna (both Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid).

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi (both Paris St-Germain), Clement Grenier (Lyon), Rio Mavuba (Lille), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad), Loic Remy (Newastle, on loan from QPR), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich).

HONDURAS

Nickname : Los Catrachos

FIFA Ranking : 33

Manager : Luis Fernando Suárez

Team & Tactics

Honduras qualified for Brazil with relative ease. They finished third in the CONCACAF group standings, leaving Mexico and Panama to battle it out for the final spot. They have drawn 3 matches and lost 3 matches of their last 6 World Cup outings and would be keen on changing that.

Honduras has the Premier League duo, Wilson Palacios and Maynor Figueroa and would be counting on their experience to get the victory they are craving. Celtic left-back Emilio Izaguirre is arguably the best player of Honduras. His speed and agility on the left flank would be helpful for the team. It would be tough to crack the pretty obdurate defence of Switzerland and France. They best bet at the victory would be against Ecuador.

Wilson Palacios has seen good times in the Premier league under the new boss Mark Hughes after a pretty rough patch at the Britannia Stadium. He is a ferocious atheletes and despite his poor run of form in the Premier League, he would remain the heart of the midfield for Honduras. Los Catrachos need some massive defensive performances from him and Figueroa if they are to pick up that elusive maiden World Cup win.

Given their day, Honduras could well be celebrating their first ever World Cup win.The people of Honduras would surely settle for that first ever victory. Anything surpassing that would be a massive surprise.

Palacios – Doesn’t he look like a monkey?

Honduras Squad In Full

Goalkeepers: Noel Valladares, Donis Escober (both Olimpia), Luis Lopez (Real Espana).

Defenders: Brayan Beckeles (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic), Juan Carlos Garcia (Wigan), Maynor Figueroa (Hull), Victor Bernardez (San Jose Earthquakes), Osman Chavez (Qingdao Janoon), Juan Pablo Montes (Motagua).

Midfielders: Edder Delgado (Real Espana), Luis Garrido (Olimpia), Roger Espinoza (Wigan), Jorge Claros (Motagua), Wilson Palacios (Stoke), Oscar Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Andy Najar (Anderlecht), Mario Martinez (Real Espana), Marvin Chavez (Chivas USA).

Forwards: Jerry Bengtson (New England Revolution), Jerry Palacios (Alajuelense), Carlo Costly (Real Espana), Rony Martinez (Real Sociedad).

From The Penalty Spot

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MATCH 26 – The Other Valencia

MATCH 9 – Swiss Bliss

GROUP E – One Sided Affair