Goals: None
Recap: After 90 minutes of football in the mecca of Estadio do Maracana, Ecuador and France played to as scoreless draw.
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Chances were few and far between in the first half. The most dangerous came in the 41st minute off the levitating head of Enner Valencia, but Hugo Lloris was in perfect position to deny him from close range. Ecuador's fate would be sealed following the break. A rash challenge from Antonio Valencia saw the captain sent off in the 50th minute, leaving his team down a man for the remainder of the match.
Ecuador would only squander chances from there. With the draw, France finishes atop Group E with seven points.
Key Moment: The easy answer is Valencia's red card—and it was a worthy red—but Ecuador broke on a perfect counter in the 54th minute. The vision and pace of Enner Valencia created an inch-perfect opportunity for Christian Noboa, only to see him fire it wildly past the post.
Man of the Match: The match finished scoreless, but only because Alexander Dominguez kept it that way. The Ecuadorian keeper finished the match with nine impressive saves.
Lesson Learned: Reinaldo Rueda's men have only themselves to blame for bombing out of the 2014 World Cup. At worst, it should've been a draw with Switzerland, but Michael Arroyo's carelessness with the ball sprung the match-winning counter. The chances to climb the mountain created by Valencia's red were there, but they squandered them away. This was a self-inflicted elimination.
Up Next: Ecuador returns home to prepare for the 2015 Copa America, while France travels to Brasilia to face Nigeria on June 30.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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