The best World Cup of the Ecuadorian team 2:22
(CNN) --
While the Ecuadorian National Team gets ready for Qatar, the fans of "La Tri" count down the days for the World Cup premiere, reviewing the best moments of the team in recent years.
There is a contagious nostalgia for the most remembered performances since Ecuador debuted in a World Cup in 2002.
The Ecuadorian team will participate in a World Cup again 8 years later and the local media interview the heroes of the first World Cup qualification and reproduce the images and audios of the most important goals of the last 20 years.
Fans and commentators cannot avoid comparing on air and on social media the current squad of Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro with the generation of legendary players Álex Aguinaga, Agustín Delgado, Iván Hurtado, Ulises de la Cruz, among others.
This is how Ecuador will arrive at the World Cup in Qatar 2022
21 years after the breaking of a "hex"
Thirteen days before the debut in Qatar 2022 against the host country, Ecuador will celebrate 21 years since its first qualification for the World Cup when it tied 1-1 in Quito against Uruguay, led by Hernán Darío Gómez.
That day is considered by many to be the most important match in the history of Ecuadorian soccer because a spell of 10 previous attempts to qualify for a World Cup was broken.
Ecuador played its first South American qualifier for the World Cup in Chile in 1962.
Ivan Kaviedes' historic goal in 2011 that qualified Ecuador for the 2002 World Cup (Credit: JAIME RAZURI/AFP via Getty Images)
The historical matches of Ecuador and the shouts of goal
Although the match of November 7, 2001 —when Iván Kaviedes' header sealed the Ecuadorian passport to Korea and Japan— is one of the most remembered for fans, sports journalists agree that the historic moment occurred when the Ecuadorian team jumped to the pitch at Sapporo Stadium in Japan on June 3, 2002.
The Ecuadorians fell 2-0 to Italy but that day was "historic because it allowed Ecuador to train in a long-awaited and long-awaited World Cup event," says sports journalist Tarcisio Romero, who with more than 30 years of experience in sports journalism has covered several FIFA World Cups.
advertising
“Ecuador is not going to forget what it was like that morning when it debuted.
It may not have been the best debut but it is a historic match, as historic were the players who were able to participate, "adds Romero.
In addition, Tarcisio Romero highlights Ecuador 1-0 Croatia, played ten days later in Yokohama (Japan), for being the tricolor's first victory.
Álex Aguinaga in Ecuador's match against Croatia in 2002 (Credit: PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP via Getty Images)
"At 48 minutes Edison Méndez managed to beat the Croatian goalkeeper and give him this victory that enters the historical pages of Ecuadorian soccer," recalls Romero.
The list of memorable matches also includes the 3-0 win over Costa Rica at the 2006 World Cup in Germany in the first round of group A. It was the first Ecuadorian win in a World Cup event but also “it gave way to the second round of final for the first time”, recalls Romero.
The team then led by Colombian Luis Fernando Suárez fell to the bottom of the group with host Germany but had already secured six points after beating Poland in their debut.
"I would define as another historical match the one that Ecuador plays on June 25, 2006 against England because Ecuador makes its debut in these instances and manages to overcome the group stage in its second participation against a former world champion like England and making a very good presentation ”, says Romero, who as a radio commentator has shouted the goals of the team in each World Cup event.
"The goal came in the 60th minute scored by David Beckham and that made that commitment much more important," he emphasizes.
World Cup qualifications did not come without glories
Ecuador has qualified for four World Cups in 20 years, but in the Ecuadorian soccer gold book there are two more episodes that do not correspond to World Cups but to knockout stages.
The first is the first victory over the powerful Brazil by 1-0 at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium in Quito on March 28, 2001, heading to the World Cup in Korea and Japan.
Agustín Delgado's solitary goal from an Iván Kaviedes pass was the first favorable result for the Ecuadorians in 21 games, after 19 defeats and a draw against the Brazilians.
The second memorable match for Ecuador was the 2-0 against Argentina at River Plate's Monumental Stadium on October 8, 2015 for the Russia 2018 qualifiers.
For the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Ecuadorian team opens the FIFA tournament against the host Qatar on November 20 at the Al Bayt stadium.
It will be the first time that "La Tri" plays an opening match.
A new historical moment in the World Cup route that millions of Ecuadorians will not want to miss for anything in the world.
When does Ecuador play its Qatar 2022 World Cup matches: schedule and dates
World Ecuador National Team