Plata plays 45 minutes as Ecuador draw with Canada in friendly | OneFootball

Gonzalo Plata entered at halftime of the friendly match held in Toronto

The week for Gonzalo Plata was hectic. After arriving late for Ecuador's presentation, the player managed to participate in 45 minutes of the 0-0 draw with Canada, in a match held in Toronto, at BMO Field Stadium.

Plata was unable to participate in the training sessions, as he only reported to coach Sebastián Beccacece on Wednesday night (12th), when the preparation for the match was already completed. Therefore, the Flamengo player, who is a key starter in the coach's mind, began on the bench.

HOW WAS THE GAME BETWEEN CANADA AND ECUADOR?

Despite being a friendly, the game started intensely, with an expulsion right at the beginning. In the sixth minute, Ali Ahmed from Canada tackled Alan Franco, an Ecuadorian who plays for Atlético-MG, with a high foot and received a straight red card. Even with one player down, the hosts managed to create good chances.

At halftime, Gonzalo Plata was brought on and performed well. The Flamengo player took charge of set pieces and almost provided an assist from a free kick into the area. Additionally, the athlete played in a different role than he usually does at Mengão.

The red-black player acted as a 'number 10', behind the striker Enner Valencia, creating space for John Yeboah to infiltrate from the right, as Plata usually plays at Flamengo. However, even with an extra player for almost 90 minutes, the South American team couldn't secure the victory.

WHEN IS ECUADOR'S NEXT GAME?

In summary, with Gonzalo Plata available, Ecuador returns to the field this Tuesday (18th), at 10:30 PM (Brasília time), against New Zealand. After the match, the forward will head to Rio de Janeiro to be available for Filipe Luís for the game against Fluminense, which takes place on the 19th.

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