The Tribune

ECUADOR

World ranking: 21

Group A: with Bahamas

(48), Senegal (17) and

Switzerland (6)

The road to Nassau

Ecuador were drawn in Group B of the 2017 South American Beach Soccer Championship and were determined to make history by qualifying for the global extravaganza for the first time.

A penalty shoot-out victory over Colombia - after the game had finished 6-6 at the end of extra time - set them on their way.

They followed that with more straightforward wins over Peru (3-2) and Venezuela (5-2) to seal a spot in the semi-finals, before suffering an 11-1 drubbing at the hands of Brazil in their last group fixture.

In the semi-finals, the momentum was with the Ecuadorians after they mounted a stirring comeback to 3-3 against Paraguay, but they came unstuck in extra time, when the hosts notched two quick-fire goals to go through. ‘La Tri’ bounced back in the play-off for third place, triumphing 1-0 against Argentina on penalties (4-4 aet) to book a deserved ticket to Bahamas 2017.

Strengths and style

Ecuador’s successful qualification campaign was the culmination of a four-year development plan for this set of players.

Their battling qualities and fantastic fitness levels were in full view during the preliminary competition, when they withstood the rigours of going all the way to extra time on three occasions.

And while those attributes are important, they are supplemented by a steady supply of flair and firepower, as exemplified by Jorge Bailon and Segundo Moreira, who scored a combined 14 goals in qualifying.

In short, the debutants have all the ingredients to be a force to be reckoned with in the Bahamas.

FIFA Beach Soccer

World Cup record

This will be Ecuador’s first appearance at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

• The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017 will be held in Nassau from April 27 to May 7.