Sunderland duo Nilson Angulo and Juan Riquelme Angulo both featured for Ecuador during the international break.
Sunderland duo Nilson Angulo and Juan Riquelme Angulo caught the eye in Ecuador’s 1-1 friendly draw with Panama with the friendly fixture providing a particularly memorable moment for the latter.
Marcelo Gallardo’s side suffered a 3-0 defeat against South Korea before falling to a penalty shoot-out loss against Japan over the last ten days before facing Panama in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Both Black Cats forwards were named amongst the substitutes before being introduced into the action at half-time - and recent signing Riquelme made an impact less than 15 minutes later as he racked up his first senior international goal in only his third appearance.
Sunderland duo Nilson Angulo and Juan Riquelme Angulo both featured for Ecuador.placeholder image
Sunderland duo Nilson Angulo and Juan Riquelme Angulo both featured for Ecuador. | Getty Images.
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It wasn’t all positive for the 18-year-old forward as he missed the decisive penalty in an 8-7 shoot-out defeat after Black Cats team-mate Angulo had earlier been successful from the spot. However, getting off the mark at senior level can only be viewed as a major boost for the former Independiente del Valle striker as he looks to make an impression upon his return to Wearside.
For Angulo, who has made 15 appearances since joining Sunderland from Anderlecht in January, the game showed that his side are adjusting to the demands placed upon them by new head coach Gallardo following his appointment in August.
He told El Universo: “We’re trying to adjust a lot of things, but we’re continuing with the same plan from the previous process because we’re players who have known each other for a long time. The coach asks us to be ourselves, to fight for every ball and to be brave in every action. We’ll adapt game by game.”
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What did Juan Riquelme Angulo say about earning his first senior international cap?
Sunderland duo Nilson Angulo and Juan Riquelme Angulo both featured for Ecuador.placeholder image
Sunderland duo Nilson Angulo and Juan Riquelme Angulo both featured for Ecuador. | Getty Images.
Riquelme made his senior bow for Ecuador in last month’s defeat against South Korea and thanked Gallardo for the opportunity he had been handed. As quoted by El Universo, he said: “That was a beautiful moment for me. I fulfilled my dream of playing for my country. Coach Gallardo gave me the opportunity. I called my family and they are very proud of me. It was beautiful because I had been dreaming about it, until finally that dream came true. The first thing I did was speak to my family, who were very happy for me.”
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