Match Summary · Football · Ecuador · LigaPro Primera A · Leones Futbol Club · CD Universidad Catolica del Ecuador · Juan Anangono · Emiliano Griffa
| Metric | Leones Futbol Club | CD Universidad Catolica del Ecuador |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow cards | 5 | 6 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Leones thought they had struck inside seven minutes when Juan Anangono found the net, only for VAR to cancel the goal at 6'29''. The home side stayed on the front foot through an early exchange of bookings for Ariel Aguas and E Valencia, and the breakthrough arrived at 26'33'' when Griffa scored what proved to be the winner. More cautions followed before the break for Jhon Chancellor and Jonathan Ronaldo Arroyo.
The second half never settled into much rhythm. Cristhian Solano and Gregori Anangono were both booked before Universidad Catolica turned to the bench with changes for Eddy Mejia and Jose Fajardo on 57 minutes. Leones responded by sending on Miguel Caicedo just after the hour, and he also entered the referee's notebook later in the half.
A chaotic spell midway through the half centered on Mauricio Alonso, who was involved in two VAR red-card checks in the 64th minute, stayed on, and was then shown yellow. Jeronimo Cacciabue was booked and substituted soon after, while both teams made late changes as the hosts protected the lead. The stats will show a narrow score, but the match summary was full of cards, interruptions and enough edge for memorable highlights. This 1-0 result also reversed the earlier meeting between the sides, which Uni Catolica had won 3-0.