BRAZIL 2019: Eaglets can’t beat us– boasts Ecuador captain

Ecuador captain, Joan Lopez has said the team’s rapport will give them the edge over Nigeria when both sides clash in one of the group B matches of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil on Tuesday.

Nicknamed La Tricolor, Ecuador who who are making their fifth appearance in this category kick-started their campaign with a 3-0 victory against Australia at the Goiania’s Estadio Olimpico last Saturday night.

Lopez has attributed the victory to the bonding which goes beyond the pitch.

“We have all been working together within the national team for a year now in this cycle. “We all have an excellent understanding of each other and are prepared for whatever comes our way,” he told FIFA.com.

Lopez said the majority of the players who featured in the match against the Aussies rose through the ranks at Independiente del Valle, a club in the suburb in Ecuador that is noted for stunning some of the best sides in South America.

“I think some of our experiences together at Independiente have helped us significantly with the national team,” “Obviously it has been exciting and inspiring to see the senior team’s strength in reaching a final, too,” he said.

Ecuador will be hoping to surpass its quarter-final outing both on home soil in 1995 and 20 years later in Chile in Brazil.

Read Also: Buhari: Eaglets have shown they can win trophy

Earlier this year Ecuador earned a milestone achievement at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, with Jorge Celico’s charges taking home bronze from Poland 2019.

kick-off is 9 pm Nigerian time.