They were also upset to discover that,
by South American standards, referees in this World Cup are very lenient on
tough tackling and physical contact.
There was a risk of Ecuador losing
But they found their discipline and settled into the game with some pleasing
Admittedly, two goals to the good Italy were happy to
watch them do it.
And until a late shot from Delgado, keeper Buffon was
As expected, Ecuador's main striker looked short of match fitness, and
seldom got the better of Alessandro Nesta.
The team's other big name, Alex
Aguinaga, also struggled to make any impression.
After waiting an entire career to play in the World Cup, it is sad that
Aguinaga's opportunity has finally come too late for him to do full justice
to his wonderful range of skills.
Now 34, he could not cope with the pace
of the game.
Ecuador improved after the break when the lively Edison Mendez
took over playmaking duties.
Aguinaga had the honour of leading his side out for their first ever World
Cup game and listening to the national anthem.
Perhaps the time has come
for coach Gomez to accept that his veteran midfielder has reached the stage
when he is more likely to be effective coming on in the second half to use
his ability against tiring opponents.
With Delgado not fully fit and Aguinaga off the pace, it is hardly
surprising that Ecuador had little bite up front.
It is precisely because
his team were losing the physical battle at the sharp end that Gomez took
off Aguinaga at half-time.
Ecuador's coach tried to redress the balance by
introducing the burly Carlos Tenório, rather than the more technical Ivan
For the next game, though, Gomez would be well advised to think about
reverting to the Delgado-Kaviedes partnership.
The twin strikers were the
best thing about the team in qualification.
Working close together they
were frequently able to conjure goals from nothing.
After doing so much to
take Ecuador to Asia, Delgado and Kaviedes have earned the right to pool
their forces against Mexico on Sunday.