Ecuador forward, Enner Valencia has kind words for the Super Eagles despite the Tricolor edging a keenly contested tie 1-0 at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on Friday morning.
The Super Eagles dominated for long spells but lost to Villarreal’s winger Pervis Estupian’s third-minute header.
The story would have been much different for the Super Eagles had they converted some of the chances they created in the game.
Forward Cyriel Dessers was the worst culprit as he fluffed three good chances in the keenly contested encounter.
Ecuador, who are among the 32 countries that will be competing for honours at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, also created chances of their own.
Gustavo Alfaro’s side were however denied by the impressive Francis Uzoho, who has redeemed himself after a shaky performance in Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against Ghana in March.
Valencia, who plays his club football for Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce, accepted that the Super Eagles made things hard for his team in the friendly.
“We get the feeling that at times we were able to dominate. They have also had possession of the ball and opportunities,” Valencia was quoted by ESPN.
“You have to see the performance above the result, but it is satisfying to be able to win because it gives you confidence.
“We faced a great team, it is also the issue that there were players who joined the camp late to prepare for the game. We are committed as a group and surely the next game we will improve”.
