Substitutes Jhonder Cadiz and Eduard Bello netted decisive goals to earn Venezuela a 2-1 triumph over a 10-man Ecuador in their Copa America Group B clash on Saturday.
Ecuador found themselves down to ten men just 22 minutes into the match at Levi Stadium when striker Enner Valencia was dismissed for dangerous play. The 34-year-old forward caught Venezuelan defender Jose Martinez in the chest with his boot while contesting a high, bouncing ball in the box. Initially shown a yellow card, Valencia’s punishment was upgraded to a straight red following a VAR review.
Despite the setback, Ecuador, who had been controlling the game, took the lead in the 40th minute. Venezuela’s failure to clear a free-kick allowed Jeremy Sarmiento to seize the loose ball and score.
Venezuela’s head coach, Fernando Batista, made two crucial substitutions at halftime, introducing Cadiz and Bello, both of whom had an immediate impact.
Vinotinto striker Salomon Rondon set up Cadiz, whose low side-footed effort from the edge of the box took a slight deflection before beating Ecuadorian keeper Alexander Dominguez.
In the 74th minute, Alexander Gonzalez delivered a cross from the right, met by a diving header from Rondon. Although Dominguez saved the initial attempt, Bello was quick to capitalise on the rebound and scored the winning goal.
“To be able to score a goal, which helped in the victory, and to have contributed to the first goal, is a joy. These three points are very important for what’s to come,” said a jubilant Bello.
Ecuador’s Spanish coach, Felix Sanchez, acknowledged that Valencia’s red card necessitated a change in their game plan.
“We had to change the plan, wait a bit behind the opposition. It’s clear that when you play with 10 men you are at the mercy of the opposition for many minutes, even if you don’t want to play that way,” he explained.
“Obviously it’s not the dream start, but there are two more games left and we have the team to compete. The most important thing is that the team recovers its spirit for what is to come.”