Jordy Caicedo goal gives Ecuador half-time lead over Costa Rica in Quito

Ecuador led Costa Rica 1-0 at half-time of an international friendly at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito on Friday 13 November 2026, after a first-half goal by striker Jordy Caicedo. Both Mexican sports site VAVEL and Costa Rican broadcaster Teletica reported the half-time score.

The final score has not been confirmed. The match was still in progress when this report was written. The latest entry in VAVEL's live blog covered the 50th minute and was stamped 19:22 CST, Mexico's central time (01:22 UTC on 14 November), with Ecuador still 1-0 ahead. VAVEL's page also carried an "EVENTO FINALIZADO" (event finished) label and a 1-0 headline, but those appeared alongside that 50th-minute update and should not be read as a full-time result. This report will be updated once the final score is confirmed by at least two independent sources.

The game kicked off at 19:00 in Quito, according to El Comercio and El Universo, which was 6 p.m. in Costa Rica, La Nación said.

Two accounts of the goal

The reports agree that Jordy Caicedo scored but differ on the details. VAVEL's live blog put the goal in the 22nd minute and said defender Piero Hincapié supplied a through ball that Caicedo finished with his left foot into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira.

Teletica's half-time report gave the 21st minute and described a solo run. It said Caicedo got through one-on-one with Sequeira, went around him and shot with his left foot. Teletica did not mention Hincapié.

How the match unfolded

Costa Rica created the first clear chance. In the 9th minute, according to VAVEL, Ecuador goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez pushed away a low shot from Costa Rica striker Manfred Ugalde after a pass from Carlos Mora. Teletica also referred to a dangerous Ugalde attempt and said Ecuador otherwise controlled the half, although it credited Bryan Ruiz's side with pressing well and keeping the ball with confidence in the first 15 minutes.

VAVEL's half-time summary listed Ecuador with 52% possession, five shots (two on target) to Costa Rica's one, three corners to one and four fouls to eight. These figures come from a single live blog and are unofficial. Other figures on the same page do not fully match them.

In the 50th minute, VAVEL reported, the Costa Rica goalkeeper held a shot from Hincapié. VAVEL did not name the goalkeeper. That is the last match event available from the sources reviewed.

A first home game for Marcelo Gallardo

The friendly was the first match in Ecuador for Marcelo Gallardo, the Argentine coach who took over after Sebastián Beccacece left following Ecuador's round-of-32 exit at the 2026 World Cup, El Comercio reported.

Gallardo came into the game without a win in three matches, all on a tour of Asia in September and October 2026, according to El Comercio. Ecuador lost 3-0 to South Korea, then drew 0-0 with Japan and 1-1 with Panama at the Kirin Cup, losing both games on penalties. Whether Friday's match ended that run depends on the final result, which is not yet known.

El Universo said the game marked Ecuador's return to the Atahualpa after more than nine years. La Nación put the gap at nine years and said the stadium played a part in the country's first World Cup qualification. The gap refers to the Atahualpa specifically: El Comercio noted Ecuador's most recent match in Quito was a 2-1 qualifying win over Venezuela on 21 March 2025. The city sits at about 2,850 metres above sea level, according to both VAVEL and La Nación.

According to VAVEL, Gallardo lined up in a 4-4-2: Galíndez in goal; Ángelo Preciado, Jackson Porozo, Willian Pacho and Hincapié in defence; Keny Arroyo, Moisés Caicedo, Pedro Vite and Nilson Angulo in midfield; and John Yeboah with Jordy Caicedo in attack. VAVEL said Costa Rica used a 4-1-4-1.

Reports on Ecuador's absences differ in one case. La Nación said Ecuador were without midfielder Denil Castillo and forward Kevin Rodríguez through injury, and that Alan Franco and Alan Minda were also out. El Universo had earlier reported Castillo ruled out but Rodríguez still being assessed, and VAVEL's list of Ecuador substitutes included Rodríguez.

Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo said before the match that "ningún rival es fácil" ("no opponent is easy"), as quoted by La Nación.

Bryan Ruiz's first match as permanent Costa Rica coach

For Costa Rica, the match was Bryan Ruiz's first as permanent head coach. As interim coach he had won two CONCACAF Nations League matches, against Nicaragua and Haiti, which kept Costa Rica out of the competition's second tier, La Nación reported. The newspaper said the targets are qualifying for the Gold Cup in March and reaching the 2030 World Cup.

Ruiz said the priority was for his team to show "algo diferente a lo que se le viene viendo en los últimos años" ("something different from what has been seen in recent years"), according to La Nación. On the altitude, he said "sí creo que afecta un poco" ("I do think it affects us a little") and that the squad had arrived close to the match.

In Ecuador the game was shown on Teleamazonas, El Universo said. In Costa Rica it was carried by Repretel (channel 6) and Teletica (channel 7), according to La Nación.

What comes next for both teams

No post-match comments from Gallardo, Ruiz or either national federation were available at the time of writing.

Ecuador play Bolivia on Tuesday 17 November at the Estadio Monumental in Guayaquil, their second friendly of the November international window, El Comercio reported. Gallardo has said he wanted to finish the year in front of home fans and use these games to build a competitive team before the next qualifying campaign, the newspaper added.

Costa Rica play Argentina on the same Tuesday, La Nación reported. The venue and kick-off time were not given in the sources reviewed.