Pervis Estupinan was an obvious contender for man of the match in Ecuador’s opening game at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015. The left-back made the most of every opportunity that came his way at Talca’s Estadio Fiscal, repeatedly sparking confusion among the Honduras defence with his mazy runs while also taking care of dead-ball situations for coach Jose Rodriguez's team.
Honduras felt the full force of all these attributes over 90 minutes as Estupinan first coolly converted a spot-kick to give Ecuador a 2-0 lead before setting up their decisive third goal with a perfectly drilled cross. As if that was not enough, only an impressive double save from goalkeeper Henry Mashburn prevented the 17-year-old from making an even greater contribution to the his side's 3-1 win with a powerful free-kick.
“Ah, I really don’t want the spotlight to be on me,” said the modest Estupinan when quizzed about his performance afterwards by FIFA.com. “We were delighted about the win in the dressing room because we knew Honduras were strong opponents. We were really focused from the outset,” he continued. “As for whether I shone as an individual, I’m not bothered about that. We have three points; that’s the main thing. This was an important step for us.”
We were delighted about the win in the dressing room because we knew Honduras were strong opponents.
Pervis Estupinan
Estupinan has taken several steps in the right direction over the past few months. Since the start of the year he has been the youngest player in the first-team squad for Ecuadorian top-flight side Liga Deportiva Universitaria. “That’s amazing and I’m glad to have the chance to train and play with the professionals at such an early stage in my career,” he reflected. “It’s so helpful for my development.”
It becomes even clearer that the left-back is not afraid to dream big when he names none other than current Tricolor skipper Walter Ayovi as the man he would most like to emulate. Estupinan closely studies the 36-year-old’s movement on the pitch to learn as much as he can from his idol. “Although it’s obviously difficult to apply that to my own game, it helps to be able to imagine what he would do when I find myself in challenging situations.”
While Ayovi competed at two FIFA World Cups™ in 2002 and 2014, he never featured at either the U-17 or U-20 editions of the competition as his young admirer is now doing in Chile – and Estupinan has nothing less than the trophy in his sights. “We can win the title; we talked about that in the dressing room,” he said. “While we obviously shouldn’t be thinking about the final just yet, that’s got to be our ultimate target.”
Ecuador face their next challenge in the form of Mali on Wednesday While the U-17 African champions created numerous chances but failed to convert any in a goalless draw with Belgium, their strong defensive display suggests they will be better equipped to deal with the threat posed by impressive Estupinan.