Ecuador vs Jamaica

The stakes are high for Ecuador and Jamaica as the two sides meet in a must-win Copa America 2024 fixture at Allegiant Stadium.

Ecuador couldn’t have imagined a worse start to their Copa America journey than suffering a 2-1 defeat to CONMEBOL minnows Venezuela and losing star forward Enner Valencia to suspension. Head coach Felix Sanchez Bas starts to feel the heat, with the Tricolor staring down the barrel of a group-stage elimination at Copa America for the eighth time in the last ten editions. Losing to Jamaica would probably seal their ‘death sentence,’ yet history backs them for success. Since a 0-0 draw in their first-ever H2H, the Ecuadorians have won back-to-back matches against this opposition via multi-goal margins. But Ecuador’s form can inspire much confidence, with Sanchez’s side losing three of their last five internationals (W2).

Connoisseurs of action-packed football will look forward to Jamaica’s first Copa America showdown against Ecuador, considering 11 of La Tri’s last 15 games at the most prestigious CONMEBOL tournament have featured 3+ goals. That said, Jamaica’s first Copa America appearance since 2016 commenced with a narrow 1-0 loss to Mexico, a feeling they’re all too familiar with. The Reggae Boyz have lost all seven matches in the competition via an aggregate score of 10-0, suggesting a goal against Ecuador would be an unprecedented milestone for the North American outfit. Manager Heimir Hallgrímsson will expect nothing less after overseeing eight victories across Jamaica’s last 14 matches (D3, L3). Indeed, before slipping against Mexico, his side had netted in five straight outings.