To break down the wall of Wuilker Faríñez in Venezuela, still decimated by covid-19, Ecuador will need a hammer and chisel when it faces it on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro in a duel in which both teams need to add to get excited about the quarterfinals of the Cup. America-2021.
In addition to lighting up the oldest national team tournament in the world, the reflections of the goalkeeper of the French Lens they were the prize for Venezuela’s resistance to Colombia on Thursday in Goiania and a call to embolden by the decisive dates of the group stage.
The eight saves by Faríñez, 23, against the coffee growers force a special activation of the Ecuadorian offensive, led by Enner Valencia, in the clash that will be played at 6:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. GMT) at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium.
How to beat it?
The question surely hovered around the head of the Ecuadorian technician, Gustavo Alfaro, because in Friday’s training, in the “marvelous city”, he moved some pieces in the artillery.
And the question was perhaps reinforced by the little offensive volume in the premiere with a defeat (1-0) against Colombia, a result that forces them to add so as not to isolate themselves in the lower part of Group B, in which Brazil is already classified and Colombians, Peruvians and Venezuelans aspire to the other three quotas.
For one reason or another, the Argentine coach tried at least two different teams from the one that debuted in Cuiabá.
In the first, he abandoned his traditional 4-4-2 to give way to a 4-3-1-2 with Enner Valencia as playmaker, Christian Noboa in the front row and Leonardo Campana accompanying Michael Estrada up front.
In the second, he maintained the scheme that has given him revenues in the South American World Cup – they are third, behind Brazil and Argentina – but with Campana instead of Estrada, double-ended Valencia and Ayrton Palacios and Ángel Mena on the wings in place of Gonzalo Plata and Fidel Martínez.
Propose or die
Alfaro finds relief from his concerns in the offensive disability that the Venezuela of Portuguese José Peseiro has shown, so far, after more than a dozen casualties due to an outbreak of covid-19 and injuries, including those of the striker Salomón Rondón and the shifting Yeferson Soteldo and Darwin Machís.
Although the Venezuelans have defended their colors with dignity in the midst of such adversities, they barely rescued a draw with Colombia and lost 3-0 in the opening of the tournament against Brazil.
Between both parties they only made a direct shot to the goal, a statistic that shows the weight of those absent.
In the absence of two games in the key – on the following day it rests and closes against Peru -, in the attacker Fernando Aristeguieta the Venezuelan hopes of celebrating for the first time in the 47th edition of the South American tournament, unless unexpected recoveries occur that allow them touch up the base of the first two games.
“We continue with the same commitment, for us, for those who are not and for a Venezuela that supports us 300%,” wrote the flyer José Martínez on Twitter.
Possible lineups:
Venezuela: Wuilker Faríñez – Alexander González, Francisco La Mantia, Adrián Martínez, Luis Mago, Jhoan Cumaná – José Martínez, Junior Moreno, Yangel Herrera, Cristian Cásseres – Fernando Aristeguieta. DT: José Peseiro.
Ecuador: Pedro Ortiz – Ángelo Preciado, Robert Arboleda, Piero Hincapié, Pervis Estupiñán – Ayrton Palacios, Sebastián Méndez, Christian Noboa, Ángel Mena – Enner Valencia, Leonardo Campana. DT: Gustavo Alfaro.
Referees: Chilean Roberto Tobar accompanied by his compatriots Christian Schiemann and Claudio Ríos on the lines.
