Photographie: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
The third day of the VIII FIFUSA Futsal World Cup brought another victory for Ecuador, who defeated Australia 3-0 in a physically intense match marked by numerous fouls.
Ecuador, coming off a crushing 15-0 victory over Pakistan in their debut, faced a tougher challenge than expected against Australia, who were seeking to improve their performance after a 2-1 loss to Brazil. From the start, Ecuador took the initiative, while Australia adopted a defensive stance, looking to surprise on the counterattack.
The Australians, better rested than in their previous match, tried to correct mistakes and put on a better display. However, the constant pressure from the Ecuadorian fans, who protested every refereeing decision, raised the tension of the game. Throughout the match, seven yellow cards were shown, the most in the tournament so far, although no blue cards were presented.
The scoreboard opened at the 12:28 mark of the first half when Cristian Oviedo (#7) shot at goal after a through pass from goalkeeper Raúl Quispe (#12). Though the goal was credited as an own goal following a deflection by Australia’s Fabio Barbosa (#7), Ecuador took a 1-0 lead.
Australia suffered a major setback in the 13:47 mark of the second half when Hamilton Patrick (#10) severely injured his left knee, one of the few significant injuries in the tournament so far.
Ecuador extended their lead at 9:08 of the second half when Joiber Bastidas (#18) recovered the ball after an error by Eliot Brown (#12) and, in a one-on-one with the Australian goalkeeper, scored to make it 2-0. Finally, Óscar Collantes (#11) sealed the victory with the third goal at the 15-minute mark, following a play down the left wing and an assist from Alexis Briones (#3).
Despite the defeat, Australia showed improvement in their play and still holds hopes of advancing to the next stage. Ecuador, on the other hand, secured their second consecutive win and continues to establish themselves as a team to watch in the tournament.
Lineups:
Ecuador (Coach: Carlos Carrillo)
Starters:
•#12: Raúl Quispe (Goalkeeper, Captain)
•#3: Alexis Briones
•#18: Joiber Bastidas
•#8: Sebastián Aulestia
•#7: Cristian Oviedo
Substitutes:
•#2: Jorge Moya
•#4: Damián Vega
•#5: Diego Paredes
•#6: Hamilton Villareal
•#9: Diego García
•#10: Xavier Cruz
•#11: Óscar Collantes
FIFUSA PRESS