Ecuador boss Gustavo Alfaro insists his side need to improve to continue on their World Cup journey

Mission accomplished, Ecuador coach Gustavo Alfaro said after a 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in Sunday’s opening World Cup game, but warned he will need more of his men to reach the knockout round.

It was the kind of attacking display Alfaro wanted to see from his attack sputtering as he entered the World Cup, with veteran striker Enner Valencia scoring two goals in the first half to match the team’s tally from their previous six games.

The Group A match was seen by both Qatar and Ecuador as a must win if they were to have any chance of progressing to the next leg.

Gustavo Alfaro emphasizes that his team from Ecuador must improve to reach the knockout phase

Goals may not come so easily against Ecuador’s other two group opponents, the Netherlands and Senegal.

Although they ended a goal drought on Sunday, the lack of finishing in the second half, especially after Valencia went out of the game in the 75th minute, was concerning.

“The most important thing is that we won,” Alfaro said. “We did what we had to do to win this game.

Alfaro’s team defeated hosts Qatar 2-0 in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday evening

At half-time I asked my players if they were happy and they said no, they can play better. I congratulated them on the win, but said we should do better.’

Next up for Ecuador is the three-time finalist Netherlands, who will prove to be a much bigger hurdle when the teams meet on Friday.

“If we want to get to the knockout stage, we have to finish well,” said Alfaro. “If we want to move on, we have to improve on this.

“Some teams, even after winning their first game, don’t qualify.”