Why was Gonzalo Plata on the bench for Ecuador today? | OneFootball

Gonzalo Plata had problems boarding for Canada and showed up ‘at the last minute’

Called up by the Ecuador National Team, Gonzalo Plata stayed on the bench during the friendly against Canada, held this Thursday (13th) in Toronto. The Flamengo forward did not take part in the team’s preparation due to an unforeseen event and lost his spot in the starting lineup.

Due to documentation issues, Plata was unable to board at the start of the week to report to Ecuador. After resolving the issues, the forward traveled, but only joined the national team group on Wednesday night (12th). In other words, after the preparation for the match had already been completed.

As a result, coach Sebastián Beccacece chose not to start the Flamengo forward in the match, bringing him on at halftime instead. Thus, Ecuador began the game with an attacking duo of Enner Valencia and Kevin Rodríguez in the match held at BMO Field Stadium, in Toronto.

WHEN WILL ECUADOR PLAY AGAIN?

Now with time to prepare for the second match, Gonzalo Plata will get ready to face New Zealand on Tuesday (18th), at 10:30 p.m. (Brasília time). Right after the match, Flamengo will bring the forward back to Brazil.

After all, on the night of the 19th, Flamengo will play the classic against Fluminense in the Brasileirão. According to the club’s schedule, Plata, Carrascal, Arrascaeta, Varela and Viña will land in Rio de Janeiro on the afternoon of the match against their rivals.

WHAT A PHASE, HUH, PLATA?

The delay in joining the Ecuador squad was just another episode in the ‘run of bad luck’ that Plata is experiencing. That’s because, at Flamengo, the forward has been sent off three times in just a few weeks, against Estudiantes (ARG), Racing (ARG), and São Paulo. In addition, videos of the forward at parties have been circulating on social media.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.