Caicedo captained Ecuador to a deserved friendly win over New Zealand at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey – where Chelsea trained ahead of last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup final – as their preparations for the next World Cup continued to gather momentum.

They had a frustrating first half, hitting the post and being thwarted by a determined New Zealand back line. It only took five minutes of the second half to find the breakthrough, though, and they added another to secure victory late on.

That 2-0 victory showed Ecuador’s impressive form, as they completed an unbeaten 2025 by keeping their seventh clean sheet in their last nine matches.

However, there was disappointment for Richards, who came off the bench for Jamaica in their crucial final World Cup qualifying game.

They needed to beat Curacao in Kingston to reach the tournament, but were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw – which resulted in the resignation of manager Steve McClaren – despite laying siege to the opposition’s penalty area for long spells and hitting the woodwork three times.

That left them one point behind Curacao – now the smallest team ever to reach the World Cup – but Jamaican hopes were kept alive by finishing second. The Reggae Boyz still have the chance to qualify through the inter-confederation play-offs, where they will face one of Suriname, New Caledonia or Bolivia in the semi-finals in March.