The Ecuadorians came into this match sitting on the bottom of Group B in Copa America 2021 and knew that they needed to make a statement. They started the match in impressive fashion as they were cruising to a seemingly comfortable and easy win at the end of the first half.
¡FINAL EN GOIÂNIA! @LaTri y @SeleccionPeru igualaron 2-2 por el Grupo B de la CONMEBOL #CopaAmérica
🇪🇨 Ecuador 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/ObGDDbMhHt
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) June 23, 2021
But the second half showed why the Peruvians should never be written off as they responded with two goals in just five minutes to restore parity and deny Ecuador a win in Copa America 2021.
FootTheBall takes a look at the match between Ecuador and Peru and analyses the events as they unfolded and what they mean for both these teams in Group B.
ECUADOR SEEMINGLY RISE FROM THE ASHES
The Ecuadorians rose from the ashes in Copa America 2021 as they built a two goal lead heading in at half time. La Tri went ahead courtesy of an own goal by Renato Tapia in the 23rd minute.
¡No la pudo sacar! Renato Tapia intentó despejarla, pero la empujó dentro su arco para que @LaTri abra el marcador en Goiânia.
🇪🇨 Ecuador 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/igjNZLMc5Z
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) June 23, 2021
Pervis Estupinan had put in a cross from the left wing and the Peruvian defender guided the ball mistakenly into the back of his own net to give Ecuador the lead.
¡En la última del primer tiempo! Sobre el final de los primeros 45 minutos, Ayrton Preciado conectó un centro de Damián Díaz y amplió el marcador para @LaTri.
🇪🇨 Ecuador 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/tbXlAnjpap
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) June 23, 2021
And the Ecuadorians didn’t relent as the minutes went by in the first half as soon they went two goals ahead just as half time was looming.
Ecuador’s right-back Ayrton Preciado doubled their advantage in first half stoppage time as he tucked home Damian Diaz’s free kick
ECUADOR CONTROL FIRST HALF PROCEEDINGS
La Tri had endured a torrid start to their Copa America 2021 campaign as they didn’t win even a single match in their opening two games.
This resulted in them being relegated to the last position in Group B in the continental tournament, but they came back in resounding fashion in this match’s first half.
Qué hermoso es marcar con tu Selección 😍#VibraElContinente #CopaAmérica pic.twitter.com/xDanQXVBXc
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) June 23, 2021
The Ecuadorians were in the driving seat during the entirety of the first half, recording 8 shots as compared to Peru’s 2. They were accurate in terms of shot-taking too, firing four shots on target as opposed to Peru’s zero shots on target.
La Tricolour defended pretty well as they made 9 tackles in the first half and won almost 90% of them as Peru were kept quiet in the Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico.
PERU START SECOND HALF IN BREATHTAKING FASHION
Last edition’s runners-up Peru came out of the players’ tunnel a changed team as they refused Ecuador to walk away with the match comfortably.
¡Gran definición! Gianluca Lapadula recibió de Christian Cueva y metió el descuento de @SeleccionPeru con un remate cruzado
🇪🇨 Ecuador 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/2yrTDyvDqX
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) June 23, 2021
First off Gianluca Lapadula pulled one back for the Peruvians in the 49th minute. Christian Cueva released the attacking midfielder with a through ball and he made no mistake in shooting into the centre of the goal with his left foot to give Peruvians some hope.
¡Contraataque letal! Gianluca Lapadula asistió a André Carrllo y @SeleccionPeru llegó al empate ante @LaTri por el Grupo B de la CONMEBOL #CopaAmérica
🇪🇨 Ecuador 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/sCflrQylj6
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) June 23, 2021
And just five minutes later, they were on level terms with Ecuador after a lightning fast counter-attack from Peru saw Lapadula turn provider for Andre Carrillo, and the Al Hilal forward tapped the ball in to restore parity in the match.
ECUADOR PAY FOR SLOPPY DEFENDING
La Tricolour were in a comfortable 2-0 lead but five second half minutes that saw their defenders napping – that jeopardised their advantage in the match as Peru showed why they went all the way to the final in the continental tournament’s last edition.
MUCHA MAGIA EN UNA FOTO 🪄🇵🇪 #VibraElContinente #CopaAmérica pic.twitter.com/nUZ1YOL3vn
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) June 23, 2021
The Peruvians punished Ecuador for taking their foot off the gas as they saw their lead vanish in the blink of an eye. After the two quickfire goals in the second half, both teams pushed for a winner but couldn’t find a way through.
Ecuador are definitely in an advantageous position as they climbed to fourth place even after securing a draw with Peru, while the Peruvians remain in third place behind Brazil and Colombia in Group B
