Match ends, Switzerland 2, Ecuador 1.
World Cup: Switzerland 2-1 Ecuador
- From the section 2014 Fifa World Cup
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Substitute Haris Seferovic scored in the third minute of stoppage time to earn Switzerland a dramatic win over Ecuador in their opening Group E match.
Seferovic turned in Ricardo Rodriguez's low cross as Ottmar Hitzfeld's side came back from behind to claim victory.
Fellow substitute Admir Mehmedi headed Switzerland level after Enner Valencia had given Ecuador a half-time lead.
Valencia's header from a Walter Ayovi free-kick was his fifth goal in successive games for his country.
Hitzfeld's two substitutions were key to turning around a match that looked to be slipping away from his side after a poor first-half display.
The coach, a Champions League winner with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, is retiring at the end of the World Cup - and has set himself the target of guiding Switzerland to their first quarter-final since 1954.
They arrived in Brazil as Group E seeds and ranked sixth in the world, but struggled in the face of an energetic first-half Ecuador performance.
Reinaldo Rueda's side are keen to make an impact in Brazil to provide a fitting tribute to forward Christian Benitez, who died of heart failure last summer.
They restricted Switzerland to threatening with long-range shots and set-pieces during the opening 45 minutes, with keeper Alexander Dominguez keeping out efforts from Xherdan Shaqiri, Rodriguez and Gokhan Inler.
And Ecuador went in front midway through the first half, helped by some poor Swiss defending at a free-kick.
Hamburg's former Arsenal defender Johan Djourou - preferred at centre-back to Basel's Fabian Schar - was culpable as striker Valencia was left unmarked six yards out to head in Ayovi's delivery from the left midway through the first half.
But Ecuador's lead was wiped out early in the second half from a near-identical set-piece as their defence switched off.
Rodriguez whipped a corner towards the near post and Mehmedi, Freiburg's leading scorer in the Bundesliga last season, got above Carlos Gruezo to head in - 121 seconds after coming on at half-time.
Ecuador's exciting but inconsistent winger Jefferson Montero threatened to restore their lead by sprinting past Stephan Lichtsteiner to power in a shot that keeper Diego Benaglio beat out at the near post.
Switzerland then enjoyed a good spell of pressure as their opponents appeared to tire, and Josip Drmic turned the ball into the net from a Rodriguez through-pass, but was ruled offside.
Then Bayern Munich forward Shaqiri fired wastefully into the side-netting from a tight angle with two men in support after being played in by Mehmedi.
Switzerland had to survive several scares in the closing stages, though, with Valencia almost grabbing a second after a mix-up between Djourou and Benaglio, before the keeper pushed away Michael Arroyo's deflected free-kick.
Hitzfeld's side pulled through and clinched victory on the break as Valon Behrami made a brilliant defensive block before Rodriguez charged down the left and crossed low for Real Sociedad striker Seferovic to convert at the near post.
Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld: "It was a dream end to the game for us and is very important for the morale of the team.
"It will give us some extra strength for the next two matches."
Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rueda: "We lost our organisation, which has been one of our characteristics, at the end of the match, we were somewhat betrayed by our emotion.
"This provoked the goal which took the draw away from us. I believe a moment of naivety costs us the match."
"It was an intense game and I think it was very even, both sides moved the ball around well.
"Football is like that, the result wasn't really what we deserved. We now have to get over this defeat and work on our morale."
Line-ups
Switzerland
- 1Benaglio
- 2Lichtsteiner
- 13Rodriguez
- 8Inler
- 20DjourouBooked at 84mins
- 5Von Bergen
- 23Shaqiri
- 11Behrami
- 19DrmicSubstituted forSeferovicat 75'minutes
- 10Xhaka
- 14StockerSubstituted forMehmediat 45'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Ziegler
- 4Senderos
- 6Lang
- 7Barnetta
- 9Seferovic
- 12Sommer
- 15Dzemaili
- 16Fernandes
- 17Gavranovic
- 18Mehmedi
- 21Bürki
- 22Schär
Ecuador
- 22Domínguez
- 4ParedesBooked at 53mins
- 10Ayoví
- 23Gruezo
- 2Guagua
- 3Erazo
- 16A Valencia
- 6Noboa
- 13E Valencia
- 11CaicedoSubstituted forArroyoat 70'minutes
- 7MonteroSubstituted forRojasat 77'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Banguera
- 5Ibarra
- 8Méndez
- 9Rojas
- 12Bone
- 14Minda
- 15Arroyo
- 17Ayoví
- 18Bagüí
- 19Saritama
- 20Martínez
- 21Achilier
- Referee:
- Ravshan Irmatov
- Attendance:
- 68,351
Match Stats
Home TeamSwitzerlandAway TeamEcuador
- Possession
- Home62%
- Away38%
- Shots
- Home17
- Away10
- Shots on Target
- Home6
- Away4
- Corners
- Home8
- Away5
- Fouls
- Home9
- Away15
Live Text
Full Time
Second Half ends, Switzerland 2, Ecuador 1.
Goal!
Goal! Switzerland 2, Ecuador 1. Haris Seferovic (Switzerland) left footed shot from very close range to the top left corner. Assisted by Ricardo Rodriguez with a cross.
Stephan Lichtsteiner (Switzerland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joao Rojas (Ecuador).
Ricardo Rodriguez (Switzerland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Antonio Valencia (Ecuador).
Attempt saved. Michael Arroyo (Ecuador) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Valon Behrami (Switzerland).
Michael Arroyo (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Booking
Johan Djourou (Switzerland) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Johan Djourou (Switzerland).
Enner Valencia (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Ecuador. Christian Noboa tries a through ball, but Joao Rojas is caught offside.
Foul by Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland).
Antonio Valencia (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Valon Behrami.
Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Christian Noboa (Ecuador).
Substitution
Substitution, Ecuador. Joao Rojas replaces Jefferson Montero.
Substitution
Substitution, Switzerland. Haris Seferovic replaces Josip Drmic.
Attempt missed. Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Admir Mehmedi.
Substitution
Substitution, Ecuador. Michael Arroyo replaces Felipe Caicedo.
Offside, Switzerland. Ricardo Rodriguez tries a through ball, but Josip Drmic is caught offside.
Attempt blocked. Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) left footed shot from more than 35 yards is blocked. Assisted by Xherdan Shaqiri.
Offside, Ecuador. Christian Noboa tries a through ball, but Frickson Erazo is caught offside.
Corner, Ecuador. Conceded by Diego Benaglio.
Attempt saved. Jefferson Montero (Ecuador) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Felipe Caicedo.
Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Christian Noboa (Ecuador).
Attempt saved. Christian Noboa (Ecuador) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jefferson Montero.
Attempt missed. Enner Valencia (Ecuador) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Jefferson Montero.
Attempt blocked. Admir Mehmedi (Switzerland) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Xherdan Shaqiri with a cross.
Attempt missed. Carlos Gruezo (Ecuador) right footed shot from outside the box is too high following a corner.
Corner, Ecuador. Conceded by Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Foul by Gökhan Inler (Switzerland).
Carlos Gruezo (Ecuador) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Booking
Juan Carlos Paredes (Ecuador) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Admir Mehmedi (Switzerland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Juan Carlos Paredes (Ecuador).