Playing Until the Finish

One team played until the very end, one team did not.

That summarizes very well what happened in the 90+3 minute of the Switzerland - Ecuador encounter, in Brasilia, today.

1-1 looked to be like the equitable scoreline, nearing the end of the match.
Enner Valencia had put the South Americans ahead in the 22nd minute, and Admir Mehmedi had equalized for the Swiss, three minutes after the half-time interval. Both goals headers. Both goals following weak defensive performance by the opposite team.

But then, very late in the match, while Ecuador was pushing forward, a ball was lost much too easily in what could have been an extremely dangerous situation for the Swiss, and the Europeans saw their chance. On the left flank, going forward, Rodriguez crossed the ball (- his second assist, following the one on Mehmedi's goal -) and substitute Haris Seferovic, of Real Sociedad, grabbed the win, and the three points, for his side.

This may well be seen as a genius move by coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who introduced Seferovic in his team in the 75th minute. But more cynical analysts will chalk this off to bad preparation by the Ecuadorians who failed to play at the same maximum intensity all the way to the end of the match. And it cost them a lot. Switzerland now with the inside track to finish among the top two (- that is, assuming they are better than Honduras, as expected given both teams' FIFA rankings).

Highlights:

Switzerland vs Ecuador 2-1 All Goals & Full...