MUNDIAL·26

First Stage · Group E · Sunday, June 21 · Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City · 68,598 in the stands

kickoff 19:00 local · 27°C · 57% humidity

Ecuador

0:0

Curaçao

tap a player for their match file

Ecuador3-3-2-2
Curaçao5-4-1
Hernan GALINDEZ7.4Piero HINCAPIE7.4Willian PACHO7.5Pervis ESTUPINAN6.4Jordy ALCIVAR6.3Pedro VITE7.8Alan FRANCO7.0Moises CAICEDO7.9John YEBOAH8.2Enner VALENCIA6.0Gonzalo PLATA7.3Eloy ROOM10.0Jurien GAARI6.9Sherel FLORANUS7.4Armando OBISPO7.3Joshua BRENET6.8Deveron FONVILLE6.8Juninho BACUNA7.1Livano COMENENCIA6.2Leandro BACUNA6.7Tahith CHONG7.0Juergen LOCADIA6.2
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′ECUCUW

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • quiet five minutes — nothing on record
ECU 0:0 CUW0'kickoff
3' Valencia — xG 0.49 · Saved8' Floranus — xG 0.05 · Missed12' Yeboah — xG 0.03 · Saved14' Vite — xG 0.04 · Missed16' Plata — xG 0.03 · Saved18' Comenencia — xG 0.02 · Missed20' Valencia — xG 0.32 · Saved22' Alcivar — xG 0.04 · Missed28' Plata — xG 0.07 · Saved30' Bacuna — xG 0.02 · Blocked33' Bacuna — xG 0.09 · Blocked42' Yeboah — xG 0.07 · Saved45 + 2' Comenencia — xG 0.02 · Missed50' Caicedo — xG 0.04 · Saved50' Plata — xG 0.02 · Missed54' Plata — xG 0.02 · Missed57' Bacuna — xG 0.04 · Missed59' Hincapie — xG 0.11 · Missed59' Plata — xG 0.24 · Saved60' Bacuna — xG 0.02 · Saved60' Comenencia — xG 0.10 · Saved60' Locadia — xG 0.11 · Blocked61' Valencia — xG 0.03 · Saved62' Rodriguez — xG 0.03 · Missed64' Rodriguez — xG 0.06 · Missed65' Valencia — xG 0.11 · Saved66' Rodriguez — xG 0.19 · Saved66' Valencia — xG 0.37 · Blocked66' Pacho — xG 0.07 · Saved67' Rodriguez — xG 0.04 · Missed72' Angulo — xG 0.01 · Saved73' Yeboah — xG 0.05 · Blocked74' Hincapie — xG 0.23 · Missed74' Bacuna — xG 0.03 · Saved77' Valencia — xG 0.03 · Saved80' Vite — xG 0.02 · Saved84' Valencia — xG 0.14 · Missed84' Valencia — xG 0.12 · Missed90' Preciado — xG 0.02 · Post

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

ECU 0:0 CUW
1.02.03.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′3.040.50

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

ECU 3-3-2-2 attack →, ← CUW 5-4-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

1Hernan GALINDEZHernan GALINDEZ3Piero HINCAPIEPiero HINCAPIE6Willian PACHOWillian PACHO7Pervis ESTUPINANPervis ESTUPINAN5Jordy ALCIVARJordy ALCIVAR15Pedro VITEPedro VITE21Alan FRANCOAlan FRANCO23Moises CAICEDOMoises CAICEDO9John YEBOAHJohn YEBOAH13Enner VALENCIAEnner VALENCIA19Gonzalo PLATAGonzalo PLATA1Eloy ROOMEloy ROOM3Jurien GAARIJurien GAARI5Sherel FLORANUSSherel FLORANUS18Armando OBISPOArmando OBISPO20Joshua BRENETJoshua BRENET24Deveron FONVILLEDeveron FONVILLE7Juninho BACUNAJuninho BACUNA8Livano COMENENCIALivano COMENENCIA10Leandro BACUNALeandro BACUNA21Tahith CHONGTahith CHONG9Juergen LOCADIAJuergen LOCADIA

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

66%
Possession
23%
2.76
Expected goals
0.63
78
Threat
22
27
Shots
10
15
On target
3
601
Passes completed
167
43
Forced turnovers
35
8.2s
Ball recovery time
20.4s
4.12
High-press phases
0.75
8
Fouls committed
7
1
Offsides
2
104 km
Distance covered
106 km
33.7 km/h
Top speed
34.7 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Ecuador attack →, ← Curaçao attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 38′Jordy ALCIVAR (Ecuador) is booked by the referee.
  2. 39′Leandro BACUNA (Curaçao) is booked by the referee.
  3. ′Before the second half begins Kevin RODRIGUEZ (in) comes off the bench to replace Jordy ALCIVAR (out) (Ecuador)
  4. 53′Juninho BACUNA (Curaçao) is booked by the referee.
  5. 56′Livano COMENENCIA (Curaçao) is booked by the referee.
  6. 71′Nilson ANGULO (in) comes off the bench to replace Pervis ESTUPINAN (out) (Ecuador)
  7. 75′Jurien GAARI (Curaçao) is booked by the referee.
  8. 75′Roshon VAN EIJMA (in) comes off the bench to replace Deveron FONVILLE (out) (Curaçao)
  9. 75′Jearl MARGARITHA (in) comes off the bench to replace Tahith CHONG (out) (Curaçao)
  10. 75′Kenji GORRE (in) comes off the bench to replace Juninho BACUNA (out) (Curaçao)
  11. 83′Angelo PRECIADO (in) comes off the bench to replace Alan FRANCO (out) (Ecuador)
  12. 83′Godfried ROEMERATOE (in) comes off the bench to replace Livano COMENENCIA (out) (Curaçao)
  13. 83′Gervane KASTANEER (in) comes off the bench to replace Juergen LOCADIA (out) (Curaçao)
  14. 89′Jordy CAICEDO (in) comes off the bench to replace John YEBOAH (out) (Ecuador)
  15. 90+1′Gervane KASTANEER (Curaçao) is booked by the referee.

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

Ecuador's Wasteful Dominance

Ecuador dominated entirely—66 per cent possession, 27 shots, the high press applied at 4.1 phases. Curaçao sat in a 5-4-1, invited nothing, forced only 0.8 pressing situations. The blueprint was established in the opening minute: Ecuador would pin them deep; Curaçao would defend with discipline. Both teams understood the script. The question was only whether Ecuador could finish.

They couldn't. Their expected goals totalled 2.76 against Curaçao's meagre 0.63, yet the scoresheet read 0-0 when the final whistle came. Eloy Room, rated 10.0, was immaculate—he saved efforts with xG of 0.49 in the third minute, 0.32 in the twentieth, and 0.24 in the fifty-ninth, before a high-quality chance (0.37) was blocked in the sixty-sixth. Ecuador's ball-recovery advantage of 8.2 seconds to Curaçao's 20.4 gave them tempo; it gifted them nothing.

Ecuador squandered 2.76 expected goals from 27 shots; Eloy Room's 10.0 rating summoned something immeasurable.

59′

Room's save (0.24 xG) in the fifty-ninth; Ecuador's winning moment never arrives.

What Ecuador needed

Dominance without a finish is a non-result.

  • Four big chances (0.49, 0.32, 0.24, 0.37 xG) missed: clinical composure decided it.
  • 27 shots, 15 on target, 2.76 xG: quality of finish, not volume, was the gap.
  • Ball-recovery edge (8.2s vs 20.4s) created space; conversion rate, not creation, failed.

What Curaçao needed

Room's perfection masked the gamble's fragility.

  • Eloy Room's 10.0 rating: one lapse, one goal conceded, and this becomes a defeat.
  • Ball-recovery time (20.4s) killed counter-potential; faster transitions were non-negotiable.
  • Defensive discipline (5-4-1 formation) held; one clinical Ecuador finish ends it all.