ECUADOR : WORLD CUP HISTORY

Talk about baptism by fire. Ecuador's very first World Cup match was against Italy. They allowed a pair of goals in the first half hour and settled for a 2-0 defeat. The South Americans dropped a 2-1 decision to Mexico (Agustin Delgado scored Ecuador's first World Cup goal) before becoming a spoiler and eliminating Croatia (semifinalists at France '98) 1-0. Midfielder Edison Mendez, who is in the mix for this year's competition, scored the winner in the 48th minute.