Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador: A tie for 10-men host as Dumfries sent off

Netherlands held on for a 1-1 draw with 10 men against Ecuador at Philips Stadion after Denzel Dumfries' red card put Ronald Koeman's side on the back foot.

Match Report

Dumfries' straight red in the 12th minute gave Ecuador the upper hand, with Enner Valencia cancelling out Willian Pacho's own goal, though the visitors were unable to find a winner for all their pressure.

It was an eventful first half in Eindhoven, triggered by Pacho's own goal in the third minute as the defender cleared the ball against his own foot and past goalkeeper Gonzalo Valle.

Ecuador almost responded immediately as a swift counter resulted in John Yeboah striking the woodwork, though the visitors were given an advantage when Dumfries was sent off for a last-man challenge on Gonzalo Plata.

Plata was at the centre of things again shortly before the half-hour mark as he was felled by Mark Flekken in the box, allowing Valencia to level from the penalty spot as he found the bottom-left corner.

The visitors looked to make the most of their numerical advantage and piled on the pressure on the hour, with Yeboah and Moises Caicedo seeing shots blocked before Plata shot wide in the space of 97 seconds.

Jordy Caicedo and Jordy Alcivar both tried their luck in stoppage time as Netherlands were pinned inside their own half, but neither could hit the target as a promising display from Ecuador only resulted in a draw.

Data Debrief: Frustration for Koeman

Koeman would have hoped to see his side build more momentum ahead of the World Cup, but they were forced to test their mettle with 10 men following Dumfries' red card.

The red card for Dumfries within 12 minutes is the third fastest ever for Oranje, after Wim Kieft’s red v Belgium in 1985 (four minutes) and Bruno Martins Indi’s red v Italy in 2014 (nine).

Ecuador threw all they had at a winner, producing 1.57 expected goals (xG) from 17 shots to Netherlands' 0.13 from just two attempts, though it was a strong showing from the visitors nonetheless.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

4' GOAL! Gakpo's cross forces Pacho to net an OG! Netherlands 1-0 Ecuador

9' Yeboah's effort from close range hits the crossbar

13' Red Card! Dumfries brings down his opponent as he is the last defender

24' GOAL! Valencia makes no mistake and scores the penalty! Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador

45' Yeboah shoots to the middle of the goal, but Flekken pulls off an exquisite save

67' Brobbey has a shot blocked from inside the box

Line-ups

Netherlands XI: De Vrij, Ake, Van Dijk, Mark Flekken, Dumfries, Gakpo, Schouten, Malen, Quinten Timber, Brian Brobbey, Xavi Simons

Subs: Weghorst, Justin Bijlow, Koopmeiners, Lang, Lutsharel Geertruida, Reijnders, Gravenberch, Jeremie Frimpong, Jan Paul van Hecke, Bart Verbruggen, Van de Ven, Luciano Valente, Jorrel Hato, Kees Smit

Ecuador XI: Enner Valencia, Pervis Estupiñán, Gonzalo Valle, Alan Franco, Félix Torres, John Yeboah, Gonzalo Plata, Pedro Vite, Pacho, Caicedo, Joel Ordóñez

Subs: Hernán Galíndez, Janner Corozo, Jordy Caicedo, Angelo Preciado, David Cabezas, Jackson Porozo, Jordy Alcívar, John Mercado, José Andrés Hurtado, Anthony Valencia, Alan Minda, Yaimar Medina, Jeremy Arévalo, Kendry Páez, Elías Legendre Quiñónez