Their campaign started so cruely - they looked to be holding onto a 1-1 draw against main rivals Switzerland which would give them every chance of progressing, but a last minute suckerpunch from Haris Seferovic sparked delirium and meant that the three points would go to the Swiss.
They had been 1-0 up through a goal from star man Enner Valencia - now expected to tie up a move to West Ham - but conceded two minutes after half time when Admir Mehmedi struck. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
Things improved gradually in their second outing, despite Honduras taking the lead on the half-hour. That seemed to kick the Ecuadorians into gear, with Enner Valencia equalising three minutes later, then doubling his tally on sixty-five minutes. Switzerland then lost 5-2 to France, meaning qualification was still on.
It did mean that Ecuador had equal Switzerland's result in the final game and with the latter playing Honduras, Ecuador knew they would have to beat group leaders France. In fact, it was a bore draw, 0-0, that saw France never really get out of first gear. They settled for a point and top spot, whereas Ecuador could not break down the resolute French back four. Switzerland beat Honduras, so Ecuador were out.
They have plenty to smile about though. Ecuador go home with a better record than some of football's bigger nations - such as England - and their star players are being touted by European clubs. Star striker Enner Valencia - top scorer with three goals - is heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in the form of West Ham, whilst Christian Noboa also impressed. However, wingers Antonio Valencia and Jefferson Montero made less of an impact than expected, something which is bound to disappoint the South Americans.
Also, failure may lie at the feet of coach Reinaldo Rueda. He failed to drop the cautious approach that he is famed for in the must-win game against France. Ultimately, this cost Ecuador a shot at qualification for the last sixteen. On the other hand, he did get the best out of Enner Valencia and will be deemed unlucky considering the nature of their defeat to Switzerland - which will be blamed for not progressing.
Their win over Honduras was their first at a World Cup since 2006
Ecuador created twenty-two chances in their three games (for comparison, England created thirty-two)
They had a pass accuracy of a measly 75% with an average pass distance of 22 metres- they're hardly Spain, who averaged 86% accuracy and a distance of 16m.
Ecuador were one of the worst teams for keeping possession, with a performance score of -203. Costa Rica, Iran and Algeria were the only teams worse.
Elimination was half-expected in South America, but there were hopes of ousting Switzerland to second, but the team ranked sixth in the world (I suppose it doesn't hurt that Sepp Blatter is Swiss) beat them to it - and it was all down to the 91st minute strike from Haris Seferovic.
To improve, Ecuador should try and focus on improving the attacking side of their game. If that means the coach has to leave, then so be it. The fact is, three goals is not enough to secure qualification from a relatively open group. Matters are made worse when all three of those goals came from one player. Felipe Caicedo was a disappointment, with the Lokomotiv Moscow man failing to deliver the goods that would have catapaulted Ecuador into the last 16.