LDU Quito Brings Forth Destruction

Eh, what does Sports Illustrated know anyway? Answer: less than our readers. Last night in Copa Libertadores action Ecuadorian club LDU Quito dismantled visiting Atletico Nacional 4-0. Elkin Murillo had scored a brace for Liga before twelve minutes had elapsed, and it was all down hill from there for the Colombian side.

As fans of Ecuadorian football and readers of this site know, LDU Quito features many of the internationals who will make up La Tri’s World Cup roster. As such, we like to keep a close eye on what Liga are up to. Last night’s match was the first for both clubs in the ‘octavos de final’ stage of this, South America’s most pretigious club competition. LDU had finished second in its group, while Atletico Nacional had won its more-heralded group. The other pairings in the tournament can be seen here.

As noted above, Elkin Murillo, right, struck first for Liga in the 10th minute by putting a nice shot low into the right corner past the goalkeeper Salarriaga. Less than two minutes later, it was 2-0 when Murillo scored after a great combination play with World Cup-lock Augustin Delgado. It’s sort of odd that Liga is doing so well in this tournament without El Tin shouldering the scoring load.

The second half was more of the same, with goals added by Enrique Vera (63′) and Moises Candelario (74′). The big win of course gives Liga a huge advantage in the next match. I suppose I should note that Atletico Nacional was without their disqulaified goal-leader, Victor Aristizabal. Nevertheless, this type of performance should see Liga through to more success in the tourament. The only question in my mind is, can they continue to win without goals from El Tin?