Caicedo played the full game in La Paz. On the stroke of half-time, he threaded a pass through to Kendry Paez, who raced clear and calmly slotted home. Paez, who will join Chelsea after his 18th birthday, became the youngest player to score a goal in South American World Cup qualifying at 16 years and 161 days old.

Bolivia applied plenty of pressure after the interval in search of an equaliser, and they got it with seven minutes remaining through Rodrigo Ramalla’s well-placed strike.

However, there was still time for Ecuador to snatch a crucial away victory. Caicedo’s cute lofted pass picked out Kevin Rodriguez in space and in the sixth minute of stoppage time he was coolness personified, finishing confidently into the corner to make it 2-1.

Ecuador have two wins from their three qualifiers thus far, although a three-point deduction from the previous cycle means they currently lie outside the automatic qualification spots. There is still of course a long way to go, with Ecuador next in action against Colombia.

Elsewhere in South America, Argentina’s flawless form continued with 1-0 home win against Paraguay in Buenos Aires.

Enzo played 80 minutes in the heart of Argentina’s three-man midfielder and on another day would have provided a couple of assists himself.

The only goal came in the third minute, Nicolas Otamendi acrobatically volleying in a corner. Sub Lionel Messi hit a post late on but the defender’s effort was enough to win it against a stubborn and physical Paraguay outfit.

It is three wins from three for Argentina, who travel to Lima to play Peru next week.