With Flamengo's Valencia, Ecuador thrashed by Korea on Gallardo debut | OneFootball

Forward came on in the 75th minute in Ecuador’s defeat in the Argentine coach’s first match in charge of the national team

Ecuador was thrashed 3-0 by South Korea this Thursday (24) at Suwon World Cup Stadium. The match marked the team’s first game after the World Cup and Marcelo Gallardo’s debut as head coach. Flamengo forward Anthony Valencia came on in the second half.

HOW DID THE MATCH GO?

The Ecuadorian team had chances in the first half but failed to convert any of them. As a result, they were punished by the Asian side’s efficiency. The best opportunity of the opening half came in the 29th minute. Kenny Arroyo received the ball inside the box and shot just over the crossbar. South Korea also threatened, but the score remained 0-0 at halftime.

The picture changed right at the start of the second half. In the 53rd minute, Oh Hyeon-gyu took advantage of a through ball split between the center-backs and dribbled past Jackson Porozo. The South Korean forward then finished accurately, beating Hernán Galíndez to open the scoring.

A few minutes later, Heung-Min Son, the biggest star of the Korean national team, doubled the lead with a free kick. The shot was powerful and flew into the top corner of the Ecuadorian goal, leaving Galíndez with no chance.

Ecuador tried to respond with substitutions and had a chance through Juan Riquelme Angulo in the 70th minute. However, South Korea remained dangerous on the counterattack. In the 85th minute, Dong-gyeong Lee finished off a team move and made it 3-0.

HOW MANY MINUTES DID ANTHONY VALENCIA PLAY?

The Flamengo forward came on in the 75th minute, replacing John Yeboah. He then stayed on the field until the final whistle. However, Anthony did not create any major scoring chances and could not help prevent Ecuador’s defeat.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ECUADOR UNDER GALLARDO?

With this defeat, Marcelo Gallardo begins his spell in charge of the Ecuadorian national team with a stumble. The Argentine arrived to replace Sebastián Beccacece as head coach. Even so, the negative result marks the first match of this new era.

WHEN DOES ECUADOR PLAY AGAIN?

Anthony Valencia’s Ecuador returns to action against Japan on October 1 (Thursday) at 7:10 a.m. Brasília time. The match will be covered by Coluna do Fla on its website and social media channels.

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