Ecuador Champion of the Pan-Americans!
27 / 07 / 2007
 The players from Ecuador celebrate obtaining the gold medal in football of the Rio 2007 Games. Foto: EFE/Orlando Barría. |
The Ecuadorian men's national football team ran off with the gold medal of the Pan-American Games Rio 2007 after overcoming Jamaica 2-1 in the final, that took place at Maracaná stdium. The event is a first for football in the small South American country, since it is the first official coronation in the history of their national team.
The Ecuadorian victory came in the final tracts of the match, overturning the scoreboard just a few minutes before the end, with goals by Jefferson Montero, in minute 79', and Edmundo Zura -the figure of the tournament-, in minute 84' of penalty kick. Jamaica had been ahead in the scoreboard with an early goal by Eric Vernon, in minute 5, putting at a test the temper of the youths of the "tri-colored" that finally prevailed.
Dark beginning for Ecuador...
Both national teams were trying to conquer their first gold in their history in the Pan-American Games. It was an unedited and unexpected final, which Jamaica confronted with the best registration in the tournament, with seven goals score and none received. Prior, the Caribbeans had the best goal scorer in the competition, Kemmar Daley (four goals) and an advantage in the age of their footballers, mostly 19 and 20 years olds, against those U-18 of Ecuador, with just two exceptions (Zura, the center forward, and Banguera, the goalkeeper).
Ecuador, as new in the elite as their rival, received the public's encouragement, but the match soon seemed to favor the Jamaicans, since, tiny lateral Vernon appeared like a gazelle from the right side and beat Maximo Banguera with a spectacular "thud". Only five minutes of play had been completed.
A clear error of application by the Ecuadorian rear, whose strength had made them prevail among other technically superior South American squads. Ecuador tried to recover from that cold blow, but Jamaica appeared stronger during the first minutes, since the age difference of two -and in some cases three- years showed in the individual disputes.
 Jeffeson Montero, author of the tie of Ecuador, is pursued by Jamaican Edward Campbell. Foto: EFE/Orlando Barría. |
The push of the Ecuadorians and their suffocating pressure ended granting them clear control of the match half way into the first half. Those coached by Sixto Vizuete that have the virtue of capitalizing their attack actions, gained some minutes of incessant domain in which Fidel Martínez was able to put the "fruit" inside, turning the best play of the match into a goal with a finish off of pure fantasy (with the right heel).
... And a golden end
Jamaica that had three occasions in the beginning of the second half, tried to preserve the advantage. Its football, far from being brilliant, looked for the pragmatism and under that premise capitalized to the maximum its virtues until Ecuadorian Jefferson Montero balanced the scale, eight minutes before the end.
Four minutes later, a penalty kick on Wilson Folleco, transformed by Edmundo Zura, finished changing the scoreboard drastically and, of course, the situation of the match. Ecuador reached, in an opening and closing of the eyes, Ecuador reached its instant of glory in what is already its biggest achievement in international competitions.
Mexico defeated Bolivia and it took the brass
The Mexican national team achieved the brass medal after defeating Bolivia that paid for their innocence in the attack with another minimum defeat (1-0). Enrique Esqueda scored the only goal from in the match in minute 8.
>> Results, reports of the games and detailed statistics at the official site of the Pan-American Games: http://www.rio2007.org.br/
CONMEBOL y EFE
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