Universidad Católica defeated Manta 5-1 in the Liga Pro Regular Season on Friday evening. The match, played at the home ground, settled the 26th round with the hosts running out comfortable winners. By then the result was never really in doubt.
And here's the thing about the twentieth minute. Mauricio Alonso found the net just as the opening exchanges were settling, giving the home side a psychological edge. To be fair, Manta never quite recovered from that early deficit. The visitors switched off at the back and paid the price.
Jostin Alman added a second before half-hour, then José Fajardo and Darwin Nazareno struck before the interval to put the game to bed early. Alonso completed his brace in the fifty-fourth minute, and Mauro Díaz rounded off the scoring with two goals in quick succession. Manta's solitary reply came through a moment of individual quality, but it was never enough.
Three pairs of changes came together around the sixtieth minute, a tactical shift that reflected the home side's control. Joaquín Vergés, G. Mina and J. Jimenez all came off together, replaced by fresh legs. The substitutions continued through the final twenty minutes as the visitors struggled to find any rhythm.
The statistics told the story of a one-sided encounter. Universidad Católica held 64 per cent possession and registered 113 attacks compared to Manta's 56. The home side created five big chances while the visitors managed none, and their shot accuracy of 52 per cent contrasted sharply with Manta's 50 per cent despite fewer attempts.
The result keeps Universidad Católica in fourth place on 45 points after 28 games. Manta remain rooted to sixteenth with 20 points from the same number of fixtures. The gap between the two sides is now 25 points, and for the visitors the season is quietly slipping away.