Ecuador, one of the four Latin American teams in the 2022 World Cup, is drawing attention not only for their impressive start to the tournament but also for the way they are celebrating their goals.
On Sunday, former West Ham player Enner Valencia scored twice, securing the win against host team Qatar – on both occasions, the goals were dedicated to God.
The players come together to form a circle and fall to their knees before pointing and looking up to the sky to celebrate the first goal / Reuters
The players celebrating their second goal / Reuters
But this is not the first time the players have publicly celebrated their goals like this; in the 2014 World Cup, they repeated the scene in a match they won against Mexico.
It’s understood most of the team’s players are Christians, with several videos on social media showing them praying before each match.
Reuters
Reuters
At least 80 per cent of the Ecuadorian population subscribes to Catholicism.