- A goalless draw was the result of the tough match played between the teams of Ecuador and Paraguay.
- La Albirroja remains undefeated since Gustavo Alfaro took over as Technical Director.
Ecuador tied 0-0 with Paraguay this Thursday in Quito (2,850 meters above sea level), to momentarily remain in the direct qualification zone in the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and maintain its historic undefeated record against the Guaraní team at home.
The Tricolor dominated their fiefdom from the first minute and put pressure on their rivals, who had a hard time settling on the field of the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium, however, they managed to generate interesting counters that found a confident Galindez.
The tone of the match did not change much in the second half and both teams ended up sharing the points.
With the tie, Ecuador added 12 points that allow it, for now, to remain in fourth place and in direct qualification to the North American ecumenical. Paraguay accumulated 10 units and is on the outside.
On the tenth date, next Tuesday, Paraguay will host Venezuela and Ecuador will visit Uruguay.
– Match numbers –
- In addition to matching their best undefeated streak at home in the South American Qualifiers (11P, W6 D5),
Ecuador has gone four matches without conceding a goal at home in the tournament, something it only achieved on two other occasions: 2002 Qualifiers (W3 D1) and 2014 Qualifiers (W4), qualifying in both
instances.
- This is only the third tie between Ecuador and Paraguay in the South American Qualifiers after 19
matches played (7V for Ecuador, 9V for Paraguay), all with La Tri at home. In addition, it is the first time they have tied without goals in the tournament.
- Ecuador received three shots in the draw against Paraguay. La Tri had fewer shots received in just one of their games in the last four editions of the South American Qualifiers: two against Peru a month ago.
- Roberto Fernández made five saves in the draw against Ecuador, his most in a game in the South American Qualifiers. The goalkeeper kept his record undefeated in his three games in the current edition of the tournament.
- Ecuador had 76.8% possession in the draw against Paraguay, its highest in a match in the last four editions of the South American Qualifiers.
CONMEBOL.com / AFP / OPTA
