Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador: Player ratings as the Dutch held to unconvincing draw
The Netherlands were held to a 1-1 draw against a spirited Ecuador side that arguably deserved more than a single point on Monday afternoon.
Cody Gakpo had to wait 84 tense minutes before nabbing the opener against Senegal in the Netherlands' first match. Barely five had elapsed before the PSV starlet blasted the Dutch ahead at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Whether deliberately or not, the Dutch visibly took their foot off the accelerator once their lead was established. Louis van Gaal's side struggled to rediscover any urgency from a standing start, registering just one more speculative shot in the rest of the match.
Ecuador played their role in muzzling the Dutch, proving that their breezy opening-day victory against Qatar wasn't solely down to the quality (or lack thereof) of the opposition. Just as in that contest, Enner Valencia found the net once again before a knee injury he sustained against Qatar forced him off.
Taking the ball off Davy Klaassen's toes, Gakpo breezed onto his supposedly weaker left foot which he used to spank a stinging effort past Hernan Galindez. It was the first goal to breach Ecuador's rearguard since March.
A little taken aback by the speed of the Dutch opener, Ecuador took the opening 20 minutes to regain their bearings. Once the radar had been readjusted it pointed towards the left flank. Teasing open space with rapid interchange of positions, taking advantage of the human error baked into the aggressive man-to-man coverage employed by the Dutch centre-backs, Ecuador peppered the Netherlands box.
As they demonstrated in qualifying for the tournament - with the most set-piece goals of any South American side - Ecuador proved a nagging threat from dead balls. On the cusp of half-time, Pervis Estupinan wheeled away after diverting Angelo Preciado's shot beyond Andries Noppert at a corner kick.
However, Estupinan's celebration was cut short by the assistant referee that spotted Jackson Porozo in an offside position. The centre-back was between the ball and Noppert who had already dived the wrong way but a swift VAR check waved away Ecuador's indignant appeals.
There was no flutter of neon fabric when Enner Valencia snaffled up an equaliser Ecuador's play warranted four minutes after the interval.
Van Gaal bemoaned his side's "shoddy" possession play in the opening game and can't have been too enamoured with Jurrien Timber's ball retention in midfield. The Ajax centre-back had wandered out of defence but had his pocket picked by Moises Caicedo, poking the ball into Estupinan's stride in the space Timber had vacated. Noppert got down well to the wingback's fizzing effort but Valencia was alive to the rebound, tucking in his third goal of the tournament.
Virgil van Dijk's shins prevented Valencia from extending his lead as the tournament's leading scorer with a last-ditch block. The ball cannoned out to Gonzalo Plata who was denied by the crossbar.
Netherlands player ratings (3-4-1-2)
GK: Andries Noppert - 6/10 - A little fortunate to be spared by the offside flag but commanding in the air - as expected given his lofty 6'8 build.
CB: Jurrien Timber - 5/10 - Far more comfortable in this hybrid centre-back/fullback role than Matthijs de Ligt but did get damningly caught in possession and out of position all at once.
CB: Virgil van Dijk - 7/10 - When forced into some dramatic defending inside his own box, Van Dijk's coolness proved crucial.
CB: Nathan Ake - 6/10 - Confident carrying the ball up the pitch and dogged in his duels.
RWB: Denzel Dumfries - 4/10 - Creeping very high down the touchline, Dumfries looked uncomfortable when up against the wily Enner Valencia.
CM: Teun Koopmeiners - 6/10 - Given licence to drift wide, leaving the central chasm for De Jong to deal with on his own.
CM: Frenkie de Jong - 7/10 - Thrived when limited to a thimble of space, wriggling his way up the pitch effortlessly on occasion.
LWB: Daley Blind - 5/10 - Kept his game simple in a measured display.
AM: Davy Klaassen - 6/10 - Pushed right up the pitch, buzzing ahead of the Dutch strikers at times.
ST: Cody Gakpo - 6/10 - Provided the shining moment of quality in the clash but faded from the contest thereafter.
ST: Steven Bergwijn - 4/10 - Sacrificed at half-time to facilitate the arrival of Depay. Not a big loss after an anonymous display.
Substitutes
SUB: Memphis Depay (46' for Bergwijn) - 4/10 - Evidently remains some way short of full fitness.
SUB: Steven Berghuis (69' for Klaassen) - 5/10
SUB: Marten de Roon (80' for Koopmeiners) - N/A
SUB: Wout Weghorst (80' for Gakpo) - N/A
Manager: Louis van Gaal - 4/10 - Unusually passive as he watched his side sit upon a lead. The introduction of a half-fit Depay at half-time didn't prove to be his trump card.
Ecuador player ratings (3-4-3)
GK: Hernan Galindez - 5/10 - Could scarcely be blamed for letting Gakpo's blistering opener whizz by him.
CB: Jackson Porozo - 4/10 - Had he been a bit sharper, Ecuador could have gone in at half-time deservedly level.
CB: Felix Torres - 7/10 - Solid at the heart of Ecuador's back three.
CB: Piero Hincapie - 6/10 - A little overeager in his attempts to win back possession but did more good than bad.
RWB: Angelo Preciado - 7/10 - Grew into the game as Ecuador stopped ignoring his flank after the break.
CM: Jhegson Mendez - 5/10 - Not as influential as he was against Qatar.
CM: Moises Caicedo - 7/10 - Forced the turnover which lead to Ecuador's equaliser with one of numerous searching toes sneaking around the corner of a Dutch shirt.
LWB: Pervis Estupinan - 8/10 - The author of probing deliveries from open play and set pieces in a well-rounded attacking display.
RW: Gonzalo Plata - 7/10 - Scampering along the front line, popping up as a constant spoke in the wheel of the Dutch.
ST: Michael Estrada - 6/10 - Revelling in the physical confrontation with the Dutch back-three, bouncing the orange shirts around the pitch.
LW: Enner Valencia - 8/10 - Gustavo Alfaro claimed that “not even fire could stop” Valencia from starting against the Dutch. He braved the flames to the significant benefit of his national side but departed worryingly on a stretcher.
Substitutes
SUB: Jeremy Sarmiento (74' for Estrada) - 5/10
SUB: Kevin Rodriguez (90' for Valencia) - N/A
SUB: Romario Ibarra (90' for Plata) - N/A
Manager: Gustavo Alfaro - 7/10 - The Argentinian coach's side was the better team for the vast majority of the contest with a disciplined and dynamic display.