Guayaquil City played Leonel del Norte in the Placement Group - 1 of the Liga Pro on Friday evening, and they shared the points in a 1:1 draw. The match ended at the Estadio Cristiano Benítez Betancur, and both sides remain on 39 points after 30 games. We had backed the home side to win at 47 per cent confidence. The match did not go that way.
By the twentieth minute the game had found its rhythm. Luque gave Guayaquil City the lead in the thirty-eighth minute, and the hosts built on that advantage with 64 per cent possession. Leonel del Norte lost their composure late, and Dorregaray made it 1:1 from the spot in the ninetieth minute. And here's the thing — he did not stop there.
Three minutes into stoppage time Dorregaray struck again from the penalty mark, and the game swung on its head. Madero saw red for his trouble, and Guayaquil City were reduced to ten men while still chasing a winner. The stadium fell silent as the visitors ran riot in those final moments, snatching it at the death. To be fair, they had created more chances, three big ones to two, but their accuracy was a fraction of the home side's.
The statistics tell a story of control without penetration. Guayaquil City registered 112 attacks and 550 passes, yet only one big chance came from their work. Leonel del Norte managed just 83 attacks but produced three big chances, and their goalkeeper had to make two saves. Shots accuracy sat at 38 per cent for the hosts and 18 per cent for the visitors — many shots with one goal means chances went begging.
The draw keeps both sides in the middle of the table, nine and eight respectively, level on points after a full season of football. Guayaquil City had won three of their last five, while Leonel del Norte had taken seven points from their last two. By then the prediction was already history, and the match had decided itself in those frantic final minutes.
