UTD CotoPachi brushed aside Deportivo Cuenca Juniors 1-0 in the Promotion Group stage of Liga Pro Serie B on Thursday evening. The result came courtesy of a second-minute strike that set the tone for the entire encounter. CotoPachi moved further clear at the summit while the visitors lost ground in the race for promotion.
And here's the thing about an opener that early — it changes how the match unfolds. CotoPachi took the lead inside ninety seconds and never looked back. Cuenca had to chase the game for ninety minutes, and that kind of fatigue tells on you.
To be fair, the home side had earned this position. They sit first with 39 points from 22 games, ten wins and nine draws. Cuenca trail in fourth place with 34 points, six defeats already in their ledger. The gap widened to five points after this result.
The visitors came in with mixed recent form. They drew 1-1 with 9 October last time out, but before that came a 3-0 defeat to Gualaqeso and a 2-0 loss to CuniBuro. CotoPachi, meanwhile, had gone through a run of draws — 0-0 with San Antonio, 1-1 with El Nacional, 2-2 with 9 October.
By then the match was largely decided. CotoPachi controlled possession without needing to be flashy. They sat in rhythm and saw the game through. A single goal, scored almost at the whistle, proved enough.
Table position after the match:
- CotoPachi — 1st place, 39 points from 22 games (10W, 9D, 3L)
- Cuenca Juniors — 4th place, 34 points from 22 games (9W, 7D, 6L)