Sunderland have two young Ecuadorians trying to make their mark under Marcelo Gallardo, and both were part of their friendly against Panamá this morning.
18-year-old Riquelme Angulo scored his first senior international goal against Panama on Monday. It was also Ecuador’s first goal since Gallardo took charge.
That alone made it a memorable afternoon for the Sunderland youngster, but there’s another nice detail. He is now among the three youngest players ever to score for Ecuador.
Nilson Angulo, meanwhile, was also involved in Gallardo’s new-look squad. The Sunderland pair have therefore been getting an early taste of what the former River Plate boss wants from his players.
Riquelme Angulo makes Ecuador history
Riquelme Angulo’s breakthrough rightfully got the spotlight after Ecuador had failed to score in Gallardo’s first two matches.
The teenager came off the bench at half-time against Panama, replacing Jordy Caicedo. He needed just 12 minutes to find the net.
It was Riquelme’s first goal in only his third appearance for Ecuador. All three have come from the bench during this international break.
At 18 years, eight months and 22 days, Riquelme became Ecuador’s third-youngest international goalscorer. Only Kendry Páez and former Manchester City striker Felipe Caicedo managed it at a younger age.
That’s quite a start considering Riquelme only received his first call-up for this camp. Gallardo brought him into the squad following Enner Valencia’s international retirement.
He’s now scoring for his country before making his senior debut for the Black Cats.
Another Sunderland Angulo getting Gallardo’s message
Nilson Angulo is further along at Sunderland and also appears to have a role in Gallardo’s plans. Speaking before the Panama game, the 22-year-old explained what the new Ecuador manager has been demanding from his squad.
“We’re trying to adjust a lot of things, but we’re continuing with the same plan from the previous process because we’re players who have known each other for a long time,” El Universo quotes him as saying.
“The coach asks us to be ourselves, to fight for every ball and to be brave in every action. We’ll adapt game by game.”
Ecuador drew the friendly 1-1 in normal time and eventually lost on penalties, but it was still an important game for both Sunderland players to show what they can do. Fair to say the Black Cats suddenly have a decent stake in Ecuador’s next generation.
