First-half goals from Jose Cifuentes and Jhon Espinoza were enough to hold off the United States in a 2-1 Ecuador victory in the Under-20 World Cup quarterfinals in Poland.
A pair of goals stemming from long-range strikes doomed the U.S. Under-20 national team to defeat, with Ecuador showing the quality that won them a South American Under-20 championship on its way to securing a place in the Under-20 World Cup semifinals.
Ecuador captain Espinoza scored the winner just before halftime after a left-footed Gonzalo Plata shot from distance rattled the crossbar and bounced to Leonardo Campana, who slipped the ball to Espinoza, who beat the U.