Story of the half: Switzerland pounded the Ecuadorian goal, but it was the South Americans who put themselves on top midway through the first half, and have the advantage at the break.
The Swiss ripped off nine shots to Ecuador’s four, but could not find a solid attempt on goal to beat Alexander Dominguez in front of Ecuador’s net.
The red-hot Enner Valencia was the man to bag Ecuador’s goal, on one of the easier headers he’ll ever pick out after finding himself all alone on a free kick.
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Goals:
22' - From a free kick from the tight left corner, Enner Valencia somehow was left completely alone in the box and he easily nodded the free kick home with his head for a 1-0 Ecuadorian lead, leaving Johan Djourou in his dust.
Other key moments:
12' - Josip Drmic popped up in the box with the ball somewhat out of nowhere, but a well-timed and well-placed tackle by Jorge Guagua kept him from taking a crack at goal from close range.
16' - Bayern Munich’s Xherdan Shaqiri picked up the first shot on target, with a strong strike but right at Dominguez who saved low and well.
34' - Valon Behrami sent in an unbalanced header off a corner, and although Dominguez spilled the first save he collected to prevent a rebound.
LINEUPS:
Switzerland – Benaglio; Lichtsteiner, Von Bergen, Rodriguez, Djourou; Xhaka, Behrami, Inler; Drmic, Stocker, Shaqiri.
Ecuador – Domínguez; Paredes, Guagua, Erazo, Ayoví; Gruezo, Noboa, A Valencia, Noboa; E Valencia, Caicedo.
Goals: E. Valencia 22'
Key players:
Enner Valencia - The Ecuadorian striker who picked up the only goal of the first half, Valencia came into this match in scorching form, with 12 goals in his last 17 matches for Mexican club Pachuca. He’s on target today, and continues to be his country’s best attack up front.
Stephan Lichtsteiner - The biggest Swiss threat down the right side, Lichtsteiner was a force going forward, pumping in four crosses and creating one chance.
Numbers to know:
67% - The amount of possession Switzerland held in that first half of play.
221 - The number of passes Switzerland completed, more than double Ecuador’s total of 95
2 - The number of crosses Switzerland completed out of 16 attempted, while Ecuador is 1/6.
Questions for the second half:
- Can Switzerland get a good shot on target? They’ve had a few decent chances in the first half but nothing outstanding. Their midfield is proving to be a positive, holding possession and passing well, but they so far have not been able to make it through Ecuador’s back line.
- Can Ecuador put this game away? We told you before the match how Ecuador has had trouble scoring in the recent pass. They pulled one off against the run of play in the first half, but if Switzerland continues to hold this much of the ball and bomb their fullbacks up, Ecuador may need to get another in order to pull off all three points.
