Ecuador Coach, Gustavo Alfaro, has admitted that the tough opposition Nigeria’s Super Eagles gave La Tri in their international friendly match points to what they will experience at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Completesports.com reports.
Villarreal left-back, Pervis Estupinan’s third minute goal for Ecuador separated the two sides at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, on Thursday night, in what was a fiercely contested game, with the Super Eagles exposing the weak points of their World Cup-bound opponent, as much as they were also crossed by the Alfaro’s team.
For Alfaro, the Super Eagles gave Ecuador a stern test as La TriColor prepare to face hosts Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands in the Group A of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Also Read: ‘My Players Showed Improvement Against Ecuador’ –Super Eagles Coach, Peseiro
“It was a nice match. It leaves us with many conclusions because we had favorable moments, we had mistakes and things to correct,” Alfaro told journalist during his post-match Press Conference at the Red Bull Arena, Harrison.
The Argentine added: “Today’s match against Nigeria was a free sample of what we will find in the World Cup.
“I had players who arrived yesterday afternoon and couldnt even feature in a training session and they came from different situations. The fluidity and release that the players had was continuous.
“Being in World Cup mode is understanding all the things that we have to improve on”, Alfaro concluded.
Ecuador will play two more international friendly games in their current scheduled United States tour. La Tri will face Mexico in Chicago on Sunday, June 5 before confronting another African side, Cape Verde, on Saturday Saturday, June 11 in Fort Lauderdale.
The Super Eagles will host Sierra Leone in their first 2023 AFCON qualifying Group A match at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja on Thursday, June 9, then play away against Sao Tome and Príncipe on Monday, June 13, at their Moroccan makeshift home in Marrakech.
By Nnamdi Ezekute
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