Ecuador took a giant step closer to the Qatar 2022 World Cup by beating Chile 2-0 on Tuesday, a result that gave Argentina the mathematical classification for the contest. Pervis Estupiñán and Moisés Caicedo scored goals for Gustavo Alfaro’s team, who claimed third place in the table and took six units from Colombia and Peru, fourth and fifth, with 12 points at stake.
The Ecuadorian team had never won by qualifying in Chilean soil, but the first time could mean half a ticket to the World Cup. Faced with a rival who was on the rise due to their triumph in Paraguay and in the qualifying zone, Alfaro’s team surprised from the start with a crossed left-foot from Estupiñán, which froze the Chilean illusions.
To make matters worse, Arturo Vidal saw the red two minutes after the Ecuadorian goal by a kick in the face of Félix Torres, so Martín Lasarte’s team had to reverse the result with one man less with almost 80 minutes to play. And in that context he was powerless to disturb Alexander Domínguez, who passed a night without major shocks.
When the game was dying, Moisés Caicedo appeared in the middle to beat Claudio Bravo with a low right hand that put Ecuador very close to its classification and ended up sealing that of the Argentine National Team.
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