Moises Caicedo slammed by Ecuador media after Chelsea star in ‘terrified’ display vs Mexico

Moises Caicedo had been heavily criticised by the Ecuadorian media after their 2-0 defeat to Mexico in the World Cup round of 32.

The South American side crashed out of the competition on Wednesday as they were soundly beaten by the co-hosts at the Mexico City Stadium.

Chelsea’s Caicedo started the match but was unable to significantly impact the match at any point.

As a result, the media has slammed his performance, accusing the 24-year-old of being “terrified” of receiving a yellow card.

The midfielder was arguably Ecuador’s best chance of getting a result, but he simply did not turn up at the Mexico City Stadium.

Now, Mexico prepare for a round of 16 tie against either England or the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is set to take place next week.

Moises Caicedo a let-down in Mexico defeat

Going into the match, Caicedo was in solid form and put in a fabulous display in Ecuador’s 2-1 victory over Germany, which helped them reach the knockouts.

While the game against Mexico was always going to be a tough one, after their recent results, there was hope that the South American nation could pull off a shock result.

Yet, this never occurred, with Caicedo being one of the biggest letdowns of the night for Ecuador as they excited the competition without a real fight.

Upon reviewing his performance, Primicias gave the Chelsea star a four rating, before writing: “He arrived at the World Cup burdened by the constant threat of a second yellow card, but he took it to extremes, playing as if he were terrified of receiving one. 

“If this version of Moises Caicedo had fought in the Cenepa War, Guayaquil would be part of Peru. 

“He wasn't the defensive midfielder everyone expected, he missed every free kick, and only in the final stages did he show glimpses of his skill with the ball. 

“To top it all off, in his last play of the match and the World Cup, the referee booked him.”

What are Caicedo’s stats from the Mexico defeat?

According to Fotmob on 1 July, Caicedo really did not have a terrible game against the Mexicans.

Overall, he managed to complete 89 per cent of his passes, create one big chance, complete 60 per cent of his long balls, win three ground duels and make two recoveries.

While it was by no means a good performance, Fotmob believes that he was one of the best Ecuador players on the pitch on Wednesday.

Now, Caicedo will return to Chelsea ahead of their upcoming 2026-27 season with Xabi Alonso.

The manager will be hopeful that the midfielder can quickly put his World Cup defeat behind him as the Blues look to start their new campaign with as many victories as possible.