November 25, (THEWILL) – Enner Valencia of Ecuador, equalised Cody Gakpo’s brilliant goal in Friday’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, denying the Dutch the chance to become the first side at the World Cup to secure a last-16 spot.
Similar to their victory over Senegal on Monday, Louis van Gaal’s team was not at their most flowing, but they still seized the lead when in-demand forward, Gakpo, blasted in from 20 yards.
Valencia became just the fourth player in World Cup history to score six straight goals for a nation at the tournament as a lively Ecuador found a deserving equaliser after the first one was denied via VAR intervention.
However, just as it happened in the opener against Qatar, Valencia was forced off just before the final whistle with what may perhaps be a much worse knock. This could hurt his chances of winning the Golden Boot, but Valencia’s goal kept Ecuador and the Oranje tied for first place in Group A with four points.
The result, however, means that Qatar is forced to exit the tournament early after their 3-1 loss to Senegal earlier in the day.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.