With a beating in the Jocay the Blues sentenced the initial stage of LigaPro in their favor. They reached 34 points to become unattainable for Barcelona.
Emelec capitalized on the good income with which it arrived at the Jocay stadium, by beating Manta 4-0 this Sunday, and won the first stage of the LigaPro Serie A, securing itself in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores 2022 and in a eventual final of the 2021 national championship.
Faced with a tuna team that did not cause any problems, the visit made use of a goal from midfielder Dixon Arroyo at the dawn of the match (minute 5), a double by Uruguayan striker Facundo Barceló (43 and 66) and an own goal by Jonathan Mesías (84), in game valid for the fifteenth and last day of the phase.
The electric team, which in Manabí had the options in their favor to win the round, finished this first half of the campaign with 34 points, three more than Barcelona (2nd), who expected a slip from their traditional rival a week after tie at 1 in the Shipyard Classic.
The Blues went in search of the goal from the initial whistle at the Jocay. The goal was achieved early, when Arroyo took the ball out of the area and shot from the right into the corner to beat Hamilton Piedra. Although not very aesthetic, the assistance came from Barceló, who, lying on the grass, managed to give up the ball.
The Uruguayan striker opened his personal account when he caught an air pass from captain Sebastián Rodríguez and unleashed a whiplash that left goalkeeper Piedra without a reaction.
Manta barely managed to disturb the millionaire behind.
Thrashed
Ismael Rescalvo’s pupils did not relax in the complement despite the double advantage.
Alejandro Cabeza sent a cross from the right that Barceló managed to connect with a head and inflated the nets again, thus signing his double.
The tuna boat Mesías, who entered the change, deflected the ball towards his own goal when he hit a corner kick from Rodríguez in the final minutes of the game.
As the winner of the round, Emelec secures a ticket to the Libertadores 2022 group stage by being, at the end of this campaign, champion or runner-up. If he wins the second stage, he will be the monarch without finals, which will only be if another team wins the next semester.
‘We trust ourselves’
“I think it is the award for all the work, the commitment that the team showed, when many doubted us,” Barceló told television after the meeting. (D)