Ecuadorian fans in Chicago brave freezing temps to celebrate World Cup’s first victory

The energy was palpable in El Rinconcito Ecuatoriano, an Ecuadorian restaurant in Irving Park with walls covered in artisanal paintings and crafts.

Fans donned yellow shirts, yelled at the TV, cheered like their lives depended on it — all while sipping on coffee or beer and eating a traditional Ecuadorian salchipapa, fries and hot dogs, or a bolón de verde, a plantain-based dish.

For many of them, Sunday became a day for celebration, as Ecuador beat host country Qatar 2-0 in a debut World Cup match that had soccer fans across Chicago — and the world — at the edge of their seats.

Shortly before 8:30 a.m. outside the Globe Pub down the road in the North Center neighborhood, fans braved below-freezing temperatures to make a beeline for the door. Some were wrapped up in Ecuadorian flags while others sipped on hot coffee.

Once inside, brother and sister Felipe Carbo, 33, and Michelle Carbo, 28, from Guayaquil, Ecuador, expressed excitement about the team’s roster — a mix of old and new players that made Michelle Carbo feel confident in her country’s chances during the tournament.

“This time around, could be that we might make it to the Sweet 16,” she said. That is, to the final 16 teams — the top two teams from each group — that will participate in the knockout stage.

They also discussed the recent controversies surrounding the Qatar government and its treatment of migrant workers and the LGBTQ community.

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“Especially in disenfranchised countries like Qatar, it makes sense that there’s all these protests, asking for human rights, because it kind of focused more on where the money’s at as opposed to fixing the things that are ongoing in their current country,” Michelle Carbo said.

Matthew Sund, 27, booed Gianni Infantino as the FIFA president shared a few introductory words before the game. “Shut up,” he yelled across the sports bar, his Team USA shirt visible under his jacket.

“No one really supports this World Cup,” Sund told the Tribune. But people will still watch the tournament, he added.

Chants of “Ecuador! Ecuador! Ecuador!” broke out across the establishment as Ecuador’s Enner Valencia scored a goal against Qatar within the first three minutes of the match. But groans cut through the electric atmosphere as referees ruled out the goal after a lengthy review for off side.

Mandy Mendoza, 30, from Alausí, Ecuador, showed up at the Globe shortly before the game started. Her mom grew up in Quito and her dad grew up in Guayaquil.

Mendoza expressed cautious optimism for her team, which she says is “doing better this year.”

“Ecuador doesn’t always make it” to the World Cup, she added. This year marked the fourth appearance by the small South American country in a World Cup since the tournament was first held in 1930.

At El Rinconcito Ecuatoriano, fans of all ages sat and ate, with eyes glued to a single TV. Despite some technical difficulties that shut the TV down a couple of times, patrons joked around and laughed it off. After all, their team was winning — Ecuador’s Valencia had scored two more goals by the 31st minute.

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The small but energetic group at the restaurant jumped with joy as the ball rolled out of the field one last time after 90 minutes and some overtime.

“I was kind of nervous because, as they say, it’s hard to win on the first match,” said Estefania Escudero, 26, whose family is from Quito. “But I’m so happy that we won. It’s always nice to have this feeling.”

Her cousin Nicole Constante, 20, a University of Illinois at Chicago student who also hails from Quito, said Ecuador’s young players proved people wrong.

“I think people didn’t believe that they were gonna make it,” Constante said. “They’re young, but they were able to prove the opposite.”

It’s only going to get more competitive for her team, though, Escudero added. Ecuador plays the Netherlands, which currently ranks eighth in the world, on Friday.

adperez@chicagotribune.com