Ecuador hammers Colombia 6-1 in World Cup qualifier

Colombia conceded six goals in a World Cup qualifier for the first time since 1977 on Tuesday as it went down 6-1 to a superb display from Ecuador in Quito.

Pervis Estupinan (left) made it 6-1 in the final minute of the match to ensure a miserable day for Colombia.

Colombia conceded six goals in a World Cup qualifier for the first time since 1977 on Tuesday as it went down 6-1 to a superb display from Ecuador in Quito.

The six goals were as many as Ecuador had scored in its previous 16 games against its neighbour.

Ecuador, which failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, scored four times in the first half only for a James Rodriguez penalty to cut the deficit just seconds before halftime.

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Colombia, which was beaten 3-0 at home by Uruguay last week, struggled throughout and Gonzalo Plata restored Ecuador's four-goal advantage 12 minutes from full-time only to be shown a second yellow card for his celebration.

Pervis Estupinan made it 6-1 in the final minute of the match to ensure a miserable day for Colombia.

Ecuador cemented its place among the early pacesetters in the South American qualifying group for Qatar 2022 with nine points from its first four games.

The top four teams in the 10-team South American group qualify automatically for the World Cup and the fifth-placed side goes into an inter-regional playoff.