Bolivia striker Marcelo Moreno scored one and assisted another as team staved off a late Ecuador revival to win a pulsating Copa America Group A match 3-2 in Valparaiso.
Moreno, who plays for Changchun Yatai in the Chinese Super League, provided the pass to Martin Smedberg that led to Bolivia’s second goal following Ronald Raldes’ opener at the Estadio Elias Figueroa Brander on Monday, reports Xinhua.
The 27-year-old former Werder Bremen and Wigan Athletic forward Moreno then gave his team a 3-0 lead by converting from the penalty spot after Damian Lizio was tripped by Frickson Erazo just before halftime.
Second half goals from Ecuador’s Enner Valencia and Miller Bolanos ensured a tense finale but Bolivia survived to win their first Copa America match since 1997.
“Ecuador have a great team but we showed that we can lift to another level,” Moreno said after the match.
“I think we showed we were able to match it with them, man for man,” said Moreno, who has scored four goals in 10 matches for Changchun Yatai since joining the club from Brazil’s Gremio in April.
“In the second half Ecuador had most of the attacking chances. There was the danger that they might get an equaliser but we showed great character and fighting spirit to hold them off.”
Having held Mexico to a 0-0 stalemate in their tournament opener, Mauricio Soria-coached Bolivia need only to draw their final group match against hosts Chile on Friday to progress to the next phase.
Young keeper shines for Bolivia
The standout player of Bolivia's win was delighted to have finally secured three points for his country and said the victory is a huge help in making sure they reach the quarter-finals of this year's tournament.
"Our objective was to finally win a Copa America match after so long," goalkeeper Romel Quinonez said of their win.
"We haven't qualified but this is a big step forward we have taken and we're very happy."
Quinonez was just five when Bolivia last won a match in the Copa America, the year they hosted the tournament and were beaten 3-1 by Brazil in the final.
He was outstanding in Monday's win in which Bolivia stormed to a 3-0 first half lead and then had their backs to the wall for most of the second half.
With a fierce wind driving them on the Ecuadoreans repeatedly tried their luck with wind-assisted shots from far out.
A Miler Bolanos strike sailed over Quinonez's head in the last 10 minutes and another from Christian Noboa crashed off the bar moments later but the 22-year-old keeper did not panic and was surprisingly collected for his age.
More experienced team-mates acknowledged they rode their luck in that fraught second period but highlighted the self-assurance exemplified by their keeper.
"They attacked us a lot in the second half," said Marcelo Martins, scorer of Bolivia's third goal. "They could have drawn but we had the heart and the guts that Bolivia always has.
