Socceroos taught 'great lesson' by Ecuador after second-half onslaught
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has been left encouraged by a "great lesson" after seeing his side beaten by Ecuador in a friendly.
After beating the South American side handily last week, the Socceroos let an early lead slip as Ecuador ran out 2-1 winners courtesy of a second-half double.
The signs were promising for Arnold's men early as Western Sydney Wanderers forward Brandon Borrello scored his first goal in the green and gold in the 16th minute.
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Australia led 1-0 at the break, but were soon pegged back through a penalty in the 51st minute before William Pacho headed in a winner in the 65th minute.
Despite the loss, Arnold was encouraged by the progress his side had shown.
Brandon Borrello struck his maiden Socceroos goal in the 16th minute before Ecuador struck back Quinn Rooney via Getty Images
"I think it was a great lesson," he told Channel 10.
"You see how physically strong they were I think they won the physical battle ... I think that was one of the biggest standouts.
"They won pretty much every second ball because they were physically better."
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Borrello said he was "stoked" at his maiden goal for his country.
"Of course in the moment I was stoked ... but we win together and we lose together, it's as simple as that," he said.
"It was definitely fiery, they won a lot of second balls ... but I think there's a lot of positives."
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