Ecuador have bowed out of the World Cup in the group stages, and ESPN FC blogger Nick Dorrington gives his verdict on the brighter points of the campaign as well as what went wrong.
One sentence, World Cup recap
Lots of promise, but mistakes at key junctures and a lack of end product doomed them to an early elimination.
Star Man
Enner Valencia was undoubtedly the star of Ecuador's tournament. Reinaldo Rueda was derided when he first called up the then-Emelec winger as a solution to the national team's goal-scoring woes following the tragic death of Christian Benitez. Valencia's brief spell up front in an away defeat to Colombia last September suggested the naysayers could be right.
However, he grew into the role after that, performing strongly at international and club level. He came into the World Cup after an excellent first season in Mexico with Pachuca and gave a superb account of himself, scoring three goals in Ecuador's first two matches. Elements of his game remain a little raw, but a move to Europe now beckons.
Highlights
Enner Valencia's early goal against Switzerland seemed to promise so much for Ecuador's tournament. Edison Mendez coming off the bench against Honduras to become the first Ecuadorian to play in three World Cups was another great moment, and the camaraderie and determination to perform well in honour of Christian Benitez showed.
Finally, the unwavering optimism of the travelling supporters, who continued to chant "yes we can, yes we can," well into injury time of the final match against France.
Low Points
Switzerland's last-minute winner in the opening match of the group was a bitter blow, particularly as it came just moments after Ecuador had fashioned an excellent chance at the other end of the pitch for themselves. Their subsequent results would have been sufficient to qualify, had they just taken a point from that match.
Antonio Valencia's red card against France -- for a poor, over the ball tackle -- was a fitting end to a poor tournament for the Manchester United winger. It also effectively ended his side's chances of securing an improbable victory and qualification for the next round.
Lessons Learned
In a tournament in which most of the successful sides have played on the front foot, Ecuador's reactive style was decidedly dated. Rueda's approach was, of course, conditioned to the players available to him. However, Ecuador often looked like a broken team, with midfielder Christian Noboa given sole responsibility for connecting the deep-lying defensive block to the wingers and forwards further upfield.
Reports suggest that Rueda will shortly be offered a four-year extension to his contract. If so, he will be tasked with constructing a more cohesive and modern tactical approach in the build-up to next year's Copa America in Chile.