Aguinaga - confident of progress. (Allsport)
ECUADOR CLING TO HOPE
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Ecuador still believe they can qualify for the
World Cup last 16 despite losing both their Group G games so far.
The South Americans, making their debut at the finals, need a minor miracle to
go through.
Defeats to Italy and Mexico mean they must beat Croatia on Thursday by at
least four goals in Yokohama, and hope Italy are beaten by Mexico.
It is a highly unlikely scenario, but hopes are still high among the players,
despite the prospect of playing the semi-finalists at France 1998, and a side
who have just stunned Italy 2-1.
Midfielder Alex Aguinaga said: "We can't deny that we're in a desperate
situation, but we're alive. Really alive.
"We have to play the way we did in the South American qualifying round.
"If we do that, everybody will see that we're good. Nobody can argue about
our skill."
Southampton forward Agustin Delgado, who scored the country's first goal in
the finals against Mexico, added: "We face Croatia and still have hopes. We
want to recover from loses against Italy and Mexico."
Defender Augusto Poroso echoed those sentiments, claiming this match is their
World Cup final.
But unlike his team-mates, he is resigned to an early exit.
"This won't be a match just to complete the schedule," he said, "We'll play
it as a final.
"We lost against Italy and Mexico, but we will give our best against Croatia
to return to Ecuador full of pride."
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