Plata bags a brace as Ecuador stay undefeated with dominant 4-0 victory over Bolivia
Ecuador only needed a couple of minutes to show their intentions in this game, pushing forward on the flanks and forcing Bolivia to sit extremely deep.
La Tri were dominant in the opposing half, but they lacked accuracy in the final third as visiting goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra was alert when called upon.
They had an excellent opportunity to break the deadlock in the 18th minute, but Enner Valencia couldn’t tap the ball home from inside the six-yard box following a cross from Alan Minda.
Soon after though, a significant blunder from Jose Sagredo saw him dismissed for a careless handball in the area, gifting the hosts a penalty that Valencia converted to put Ecuador ahead.
Gonzalo Plata then doubled his side’s lead immediately after the restart with a beautiful chipped finish over Viscarra, handing the hosts a two-goal lead in the blink of an eye midway through the first half.
Ecuador could’ve had a third goal via Valencia’s well-placed header before the interval, but VAR disallowed it for offside.
After claiming 83% possession in a dominant first half, Sebastian Beccacece’s men didn’t take their foot off the gas, adding another strike just four minutes after the break.
Once again, Valencia and Plata combined inside the opposing box, allowing the Flamengo winger to complete his brace with a thunderous finish past Viscarra.
Minda added Ecuador’s fourth goal in the 61st minute with a long-range effort that saw Viscarra react extremely late, and the hosts could’ve added at least two more goals had they been sharper in the final third.
Bolivia barely ventured forward in the second half and didn’t present much of a threat, instead sitting deep to avoid conceding further goals, having now shipped 10 in their last two qualifiers.
This thumping win strengthens Ecuador’s position in the qualifying spots with 16 points from 11 matches (W5, D4, L2), ahead of a trip to second-placed Colombia next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, after suffering back-to-back defeats, Bolivia will hope to bounce back at home to Paraguay in El Alto, a demanding venue that’s located over 4,000 meters above sea level.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gonzalo Plata (Ecuador)