Ecuador 0, France 0: Ecuador eliminated after stalemate at the Maracana

France ended Ecuador’s hopes of advancing to the knockout round with a tidy, but wasteful performance at the Maracana in Rio.

Les Blues had a number of chances to break this game open but poor finishing, excellent goalkeeping from Alexander and bad luck conspired against them. 

In any case, France tops Group E with seven points and will face Nigeria on Monday. Ecuador, unfortunately, is the lone South America team that failed to advance to the knockout round. 

The Head Shots 

France was the dominant offensive team in this match, but rough play marred their performance.

Mamadou Sakho is likely facing disciplinary action for a brutal elbow on Oswaldo Minda in the first half that went undetected.

Not to be outdone, Blaise Matuidi left Christian Noboa bloodied and bruised. Noboa was forced to don a gauze skull cup for the remainder of the match, reminding us of Usher’s mesh doo-rag phase in the early 90s.

Man of the Match - Alexander Dominguez

France unleashed a barrage of shots at the Ecuadorian goal throughout the game only to be denied by the 27-year-old.

Les Blues registered nine shots on goal, many of them clear cut goal scoring opportunities. Ecuador may be going home, but Alexander can hold his head high. He was terrific.

The Controversy

Antonio Valencia’s red card all but ended Ecuador’s chances of getting a result. The Manchester United winger was unlucky, if not rash. 

Valencia appeared to get to the ball before 20-year-old French defender Lucas Digne, but the foot of Ecuador’s captain slipped off the ball and from there, the damage had just begun. 

Intent doesn’t matter in the eyes of the referee. It never does. Valencia’s cleats dug into Digne’s leg and the replays made it look even worse. Valencia’s sending off was signaled the end of Ecuador’s World Cup campaign just five minutes into the second half.

The Takeaway

Ecuador's chances were doomed when they allowed Switzerland to steal three points late in the opening fixture of Group G. A win over Honduras and a tie against France would have seemed a success heading into the tournament. However, Haris Seferović's goal in the third minute of stoppage time in Brasilia created a wound that wouldn't heal for La Tri.

France, meanwhile, will rue the missed chances. But overall their three group stage games couldn't have gone better. Entering the tournament they were considered a dark horse. Now, they're one of the favorites, along with Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands and Germany. A tricky date with Nigeria awaits, though that's a game they should win. 

The 1,000 Words

Stray Thoughts

Raphaël Varane’s upset stomach gave Laurent Koscielny the opportunity to start beside Mamadou Sakho and the Arsenal centre back didn’t disappoint. Koscielny was composed when called upon, which was often before Antonio Valencia’s red card reduced Ecuador to 10 men. Sakho was forced to leave the game at the hour mark after aggravating a hamstring injury that flared up against Switzerland. Koscielny could find himself back in the starting lineup against Nigeria as a result.

Enner Valencia picked up an injury early on and wasn't the same player that had registered three goals through two games heading into the match. Nonetheless, he was Ecuador's standout player in Brazil and is bound to receive offers for his services from some of the bigger clubs in the world. 

Before the World Cup, French coach Didier Deschamps gave his players two books. Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography and Phil Jackson's '11 Rings.' 

Mathieu Valbuena had appeared in every game for France since Deschamps took over the reins as national team head coach. That streak ended today.