Goals: Honduras—Costly 31'; Ecuador—Valencia 34', 65'
Recap: An enthralling 90 minutes saw Ecuador earn its first three points of the 2014 World Cup, defeating Honduras 2-1 in Curitiba.
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Carlos Costly opened the affair in the first half. A strike from distance gave Honduras an early 1-0 lead, but more importantly, ended the second-longest scoring drought in World Cup history (510 minutes). The euphoria, however, would be short lived. An equalizer from Enner Valencia brought Honduras back to reality just three minutes later. A towering header in the second half served as the final blow.
Both teams enter the final match day with the opportunity to advance to the Round of 16.
Key Moment: Valencia scored the match-winner for Ecuador, but it was Oscar Boniek Garcia who created the situation. The Honduran midfielder committed a foul on Jefferson Montero, gifting Ecuador a dangerous set-piece. It didn't go to waste.
Man of the Match: It's the man responsible for all three of Ecuador's World Cup goals, Enner Valencia.
Lesson Learned: Valencia's quality belongs in Europe. The 24-year-old led Liga MX in scoring (18) last season and has shown no signs of slowing down at the international level. Every goal he scores adds another figure to his transfer value.
Up Next: Ecuador travels to Rio de Janeiro to battle France on June 25, while Honduras visits Manaus to face Switzerland.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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