World Cup Best Bets - June 26 - Group E

Curacao secured one of the results of the tournament so far as they frustrated an Ecuador side tipped to easily beat them. Their 0-0 draw saw Curacao show a lot of heart as they managed to keep out an opponent that took 26 shots (of which 15 were on target) and enjoyed 75% of the ball. To their credit, Curacao did threaten, taking 10 shots of their own. While they were unable to perform the ultimate smash and grab, the point they took from Ecuador was a big improvement on their 7-1 loss to Germany. While they will have aspirations of securing a similarly stunning result in this one, I predict their defensive effort against Ecuador will tell as they slump to a defeat. 

Ecuador need a result in their final World Cup match after picking up just one point from their opening two matches. While their 1-0 loss to the Ivory Coast came in a match in which the sides were fairly well matched, their draw with Curacao came in a game they were huge favourites to win. While they did well to create 26 different shooting opportunities, they were wasteful with the ball as they failed to breach a defence that had conceded seven goals mere days ago. Their two previous matches against Germany have ended in defeats, with Ecuador likely to see their World Cup hopes extinguished in their third outing.