Colombia v Ecuador: La Tri crave Copa repeat of crushing qualifying success
La Tri remarkably won 6-1 in Quito in November, the last of three consecutive victories in an encouraging start to Qatar 2022 qualifying following an opening defeat to Argentina.
Led by Gustavo Alfaro, appointed three months prior to that match, Ecuador have waited a long time for a comparable result at the Copa America.
They have not beaten a CONMEBOL opponent at the tournament since 2001, their 4-0 defeat of Venezuela followed by a 13-game winless run in such matches.
Ecuador’s only wins in the intervening period were against CONCACAF pair Mexico and Haiti.
The qualifying setback was particularly shocking for Colombia given their strong record against Ecuador, who they have beaten nine times at the Copa America – including the past seven meetings in a row.
La Tri’s most recent Copa victory over Colombia was a 4-3 triumph in 1964.
