Ecuador and Venezuela started group B when they faced each other in Santa Clara, California. Despite the early lead, 10-men Ecuador was beaten by Venezuela in a tense match that already set the tone for the upcoming matches.

Goalscorers: 

Ecuador: Jeremy Sarmiento 35′

Venezuela: Jhonder Cádiz 64′, Eduard Bello 74′

For the casual viewers, this result may be shocking. However, many Ecuadorians were already very pessimistic about their performance in this tournament. After all, they have not won against any CONMEBOL team in Copa America since 2001, 17 July, when they beat Venezuela 4-0. After that game, they lost 11 matches and drew 6 with disappointing campaigns. 

Despite the excellent start in the World Cup qualifiers, the fans have not clicked with Félix Sánchez Bas yet. This is the second time he has played in the Copa America after he managed Qatar in Brasil 2019, losing all two games and drawing one. He may be Spanish, but his style is not the typical tiki-taka one would expect., as his teams are more direct.

Not many conclusions can be taken from this game because his plan radically changed when Ecuador legend Enner Valencia kicked José Martínez, and after a VAR review, he received a red card. 

The 20 minutes before were very even, but Ecuador dictated the game’s tempo and controlled possession. Like the previous two games, many interruptions and imprecision from both teams slowed the game. After the red card, Venezuela, of course, began to attack more and generate some chances. They started their attacks in the wings, crossing to find Rondón to header or generate the second ball. Even so, it was a slow game with few opportunities but many fouls. 

Félix Sánchez react, and subbing John Yeboah for Kevin Rodriguez. Kevin played on the left to have a more compact team. 

Despite Venezuela having more ball and chances, Ecuador took the lead from a free kick. An Ecuador defense tried to clear the ball, but he assisted Jeremy Sarmiento, who shot without opposition, leaving Rafael Romo with no reaction. 

After the goal, Ecuador began to take a more defensive approach, trying to defend their lead by giving up the ball to counterattack. While this is not a bad idea, it played out terribly. The attack had no references to win the duels, so it was easy for Yordan Osorio and Nahuel Ferraresi to regain possession. Ecuador ended up using many long balls that went nowhere. Venezuela took the ball and established themselves in Ecuador’s half. In the second half, Fernando Batista reacted. Cristian Cásseres, who did not interpret well his role behind Rondón, and Darwin Machís, who was not having his day, were subbing in for Eduard Bello, who played in the right to attack that flank, and Jhonder Cádiz, who played as a second striker. He is similar 9 to Rondón, but they completed each other very well, and both were a headache for Ecuador’s back line. From then onward, Venezuela was just running down the line, crossing and creating chaos in Ecuador’s box. They did, and Ecuador gradually became more defensive, dropping more inside his box, and Feliz took out elements to counterattack.  Sarmiento was the only real threat to Venezuela, and when he left Ecuador, Ecuador did not have any way to get out of his own half. It was only a matter of time before Venezuela scored, and they did not score once but twice in 10 minutes. The goals were similar: they crossed the area where Venezuela’s players were positioned and won most of the second ball. Winning the second ball involves better understanding the area, knowing where each player is, and how to move effectively. Of course, it is easy when you have one more player, but the area is already packed, so it is not that easy. 

Venezuela could even score more if they were more clinical in the final touch, but a win is a win, and they turned everything upside down in Group B.

What’s next?

Venezuela will fight to qualify for the next round and progress as a group winner against Mexico next Wednesday. 

As for Ecuador, they will have to turn things around when they face Jamaica next Wednesday.