Ecuador’s all-time leading goalscorer is living up to his title in Qatar.
Enner Valencia scored the first two goals of the 2022 World Cup in Ecuador’s 2-0 win over the host nation on Sunday. That brace put him in the lead of the Golden Boot race, and he built on that momentum when his team needed him against the Netherlands on Friday.
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Trailing 1-0 early in the second half, Pervis Estupiñán tested Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert with a left-footed shot. Noppert could not contain the ball, and Valencia cleaned it up with a point-blank equalizer that marked the 39th goal of his international career.
Valencia equaled his goal total from Ecuador’s last World Cup appearance in 2014. He scored his team’s only three goals in that competition as Ecuador fell short of the knockout stage.
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He has all three of Ecuador’s goals once again, and he made history in the process. With six straight World Cup goals for Ecuador, Valencia became the first South American player to ever score six consecutive times for his team in the event.
Valencia left Friday's match in the closing minutes due to an injury, so it will be worth monitoring his status ahead of Ecuador's Group A finale against Senegal on Tuesday.
