Enner Valencia has scored Ecuador’s final six World Cup targets so there’s no understating how nervous his nation is after he was carried off the sphere on a stretcher towards the Netherlands.
Ecuador hopes that the 33-year-old striker’s troublesome knees are OK for a decisive ultimate group match towards Senegal on Tuesday. He harm his proper knee towards the Netherlands after spraining his left knee within the first recreation towards Qatar.
He was up and strolling a short time after that stretcher experience with an ice pack strapped to his proper leg.
“Let’s hope,” Valencia mentioned.
Ecuador’s captain has three targets in two video games in Qatar and is clearly key to its possibilities of reaching the knockout stage for less than the second time. He scored three in three video games in Ecuador’s final World Cup look in 2014 however that wasn’t sufficient to advance in Brazil.
La Tri have a slight benefit this time by needing a win or a draw to make certain of going by. Senegal has to win to make certain of advancing.
A victory by host Qatar over Netherlands would make different permutations attainable in Group A however that result’s seen as unlikely given the Qataris’ struggles. They have already been eradicated.
A protracted keep on the World Cup would put extra pressure on Valencia’s knees and an ongoing ankle downside however there’s little question he’d take the ache for some World Cup pleasure after 10 years of service to the nationwide staff.
“Good people like Enner deserve good things,” Ecuador coach Gustavo Alfaro mentioned. “He’s worked hard for this.”
The younger Ecuador staff beat Qatar 2-0 within the match’s opening recreation then stretched the favored Netherlands in 1-1 draw.
“No matter what happens in the next game, I’ll never change my mind about these guys,” Alfaro mentioned. “I’m certain that a great future awaits them. They’re fighting their first battles.”
While Ecuador holds out hope for Valencia’s health, Senegal is already two video games into life with out its finest participant.
Sadio Mane’s damage simply two weeks earlier than the World Cup compelled the African champion to reconfigure its ahead line and its complete recreation plan.
It was nonetheless a piece in progress in a gap 2-0 loss to Netherlands however Senegal got here nearer to completely adjusting to Mane’s absence when forwards Boulaye Dia, Famara Diedhiou and Bamba Dieng all scored in a 3-1 win over Qatar to revive Senegal’s probabilities.
Senegal, ranked No. 18 on the earth and recent from profitable the African Cup of Nations title in February, would usually be the clear favourite over the inexperienced No. 44 Ecuador, even with Valencia’s extraordinary run of scoring in 4 of Ecuador’s final 5 World Cup video games.
It’s by no means so easy at a World Cup and positively not at this one after No. 3 Argentina misplaced to Saudi Arabia and No. 2 Belgium fell to Morocco.
“Just look at how the World Cup is unfolding,” mentioned Senegal coach Aliou Cisse. “I think anything can happen at this World Cup. It’s not like 30 years ago when the big fish were completely eating the little fish alive.”