LDU Quito and Mirassol played out 0:0 in the Round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday night, with the hosts advancing on penalties after Victor Luis saw his spot-kick saved in the 120th minute. The match took place at the Estádio Rodrigo Pacheco Delgado, and by then the tension had been building for far longer than ninety minutes.
André Luis picked up a yellow card in the fifty-ninth minute, but the game remained without incident until the shootout. LDU had three yellow cards to Mirassol's three, and neither side could break the deadlock despite both creating something. LDU registered three big chances but could not convert, while Mirassol managed none.
Substitutions came thick and fast after the break. R. Mina was replaced by Chico Kim in the forty-sixth minute, followed by J. Corozo in the fifty-second. S. Gonzalez Baquero came on for LDU in the seventieth, Shaylon for Mirassol in the seventy-seventh, and J. W. Cuero Mercado in the eighty-first. Fernandinho brought on for Andre Luis in the eighty-seventh, and Denilson was withdrawn in stoppage time.
The penalty shootout told its own story. Victor Luis missed for Mirassol in the 120th minute, and LDU capitalized. Deyverson, Alesson, J. Pretell, Carlos Eduardo, M. Estrada, Neto Moura, G. F. Allala Menendez, and Bruno Santos all converted. That was eight from eight for the home side, and one miss from Mirassol was enough.
LDU dominated possession at 63 per cent and completed 400 passes, but their shot accuracy sat at 18 per cent with only two shots on target from eight attempts. Mirassol managed three shots on target from thirteen, with a slightly better expected goals figure of 0.78 to LDU's 0.76. The statistics suggested a tight game, and they were right.
Both teams sit on twelve points after six games, LDU top and Mirassol second. Our forecast had LDU winning at 59 per cent confidence, but the match refused to follow that script. What broke it was not a lack of chances but the shootout itself — and here's the thing, penalties are the one area where ninety minutes of pressure can vanish in an instant.