Ecuador head coach Sebastián Beccacece came under criticism after his side’s first two World Cup matches, including a scoreless draw against Curaçao. The pressure did not come from one result alone; it built across two games, with his tactics, selections, communication style and choice of dress all pulled into the debate.
At 45, Beccacece has become the focal point of Ecuador’s tournament story. He is leading a country other than his native Argentina, and the scrutiny landed quickly after Ecuador’s opening matches failed to produce the attacking edge many expected from a team with an elite defensive and midfield spine.
Beccacece’s gray-and-black top
He took to the field for the opening matches in a knitted gray-and-black top, a detail that became part of the wider conversation around him. The clothing drew notice alongside the football itself, which is a sign of how completely the manager’s public image has been folded into the assessment of Ecuador’s start.
That attention was sharpened by the contrast between expectation and output. Ecuador had been viewed before the tournament as a dark horse with strong structure through the middle and at the back, but the first two matches brought little attacking success and immediate criticism of the manager’s decisions.
Côte d'Ivoire and Curaçao
The first setback came in a last-minute defeat to a young and talented Côte d'Ivoire side. The next match ended 0-0 against Curaçao. Those two results gave the criticism its shape: not just dropped points, but a pattern that left Ecuador short of the punch needed to turn control into goals.
Beccacece’s background made the spotlight even brighter. He had previously worked as an assistant under Jorge Sampaoli with Chile, and he managed Elche to no great success. That résumé fed the sense that Ecuador were being led by a coach with strong ideas but no easy public consensus behind him.
Germany and Leroy Sané
The pressure carried into Ecuador’s final group match against Germany, where Ecuador went behind to a controversial goal from Leroy Sané. After reviewing Germany’s opener on the sideline monitor, Beccacece launched into an animated protest.
By then, the debate had moved beyond a scoreline. Ecuador’s start had turned the manager into the story, with his methods and body language judged as closely as the results. For readers tracking La Tri, the key issue is no longer just the two early matches — it is whether Beccacece’s response to that criticism changes the team’s balance before the tournament moves on.
