Oranje held to a draw by Ecuador in World Cup

Oranje was held to a 1-1 draw by Ecuador in their second game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the Khalifa international stadium in Doha on Friday. The second goal in two games for Cody Gakpo gave Louis van Gaal’s side the lead before Enner Valencia leveled.

It was another disappointing display by Oranje, who could have progressed to the knockout stage with a victory. Their fate will now rest on the final group match against Qatar to go through.

Van Gaal made three changes to his lineup compared to the match against Senegal. Davy Klaassen, Quinten Timber, and Teun Koopmeiners came into the side, replacing Vincent Janssen, Matthijs de Ligt, and Steven Berghuis. Ecuador made a formation change with star man Enner Valencia going from striker to left winger.

Oranje took the lead after only five minutes as Cody Gakpo’s rise to stardom continued with a fantastic hit from the edge of the area after Davy Klaassen had received the ball between the Ecuadorian midfield and defence.

Similarly to last week, the performance by The Netherlands left a lot to be desired as Ecuador controlled the rest of the half. After Andries Noppert had palmed away a shot from Valencia earlier, Ecuador thought they had leveled with the last chance of the first half. An attempt by Angelo Preciado was deflected into the net by Pervis Estupinan but was ruled out as an Ecuadorian player was offside and blocking Noppert’s view.

However, Ecuador got their equalizer after 49 minutes. Brighton left-back Estupinan found space again for the South Americans to shoot, Noppert saved his shot, but Valencia was the quickest to react to score his third goal of the tournament.

Most would expect the Netherlands to put Ecuador under pressure after the goal, but the Ecuadorians seemed more likely as Gonzalo Plata smashed a shot onto the crossbar after 59 minutes.

Despite bringing on forwards Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst, van Gaal’s side was still not able to create any chances against a solid Ecuadorian defence.

The side is fortunate to face Qatar in the last match of the group, who are already knocked out, having lost both matches thus far. A victory would confirm the Netherlands' progress to the knockout stages, but the performances will have to improve if Oranje wants to go further into the tournament. Ecuador faces Senegal in the last match of Group A, with Ecuador having one point more.