Delfín secured their place in the Ecuador Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over LDU Portoviejo at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday. The away side took control after the interval, scoring twice to overturn what had been a cagey opening period. LDU Portoviejo had entered the match unbeaten in their last five fixtures, but their run came to an abrupt halt.
The first half offered little in the way of clear-cut chances. A yellow card for LDU Portoviejo at the three-minute mark set the tone for a physical encounter. J. Coneo picked up a booking for the visitors at twenty minutes, while LDU saw two players — B. Heras and J. Mina — cautioned together at thirty-four.
The deadlock broke just after the restart when J. Arce found the net at forty-seven minutes. The striker had been on the pitch since the opening whistle, and his finish proved decisive. LDU Portoviejo made a triple substitution at forty-six minutes in an attempt to respond, but the change came too late to alter the momentum.
F. Ayunta doubled Delfín's advantage at seventy-two minutes, slotting home to put the visitors firmly in control. By then, the game was slipping away from the hosts. Delfín added two more yellow cards of their own — F. Perinciolo and F. Da Costa — as the match wore on, but their discipline held firm.
The result sends Delfín into the last four with a comfortable cushion, while LDU Portoviejo must now reflect on a performance that lacked cutting edge in the final third. The hosts' recent unbeaten run of four wins and one draw came to an end against a side that had lost three of their last five outings.