Independiente del Valle Reaches Libertadores Quarterfinals, Ecuador Repeats 1990 Feat With Two Teams Among the Elite Eight

It had been 36 years since Ecuadorian soccer treated itself to this luxury. With Independiente del Valle's advance to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals, the country once again placed two teams among the continent's elite eight in the same edition, something that had happened only once before in the tournament's history.

The Rayado did the dirty work in the first leg, a tight 1-0, and sealed the tie in the second leg with a commanding 3-1 win over Deportes Tolima. Alongside Liga de Quito, which had already advanced after eliminating Mirassol on penalties, Ecuador now repeats a feat that seemed to have been dormant since the last century.

The Only Previous Time: 1990

To find the precedent, you have to go back to the 1990 edition, when Barcelona and Emelec met each other in the quarterfinals. The Idolo had come from eliminating Progreso of Uruguay, while the Bombillo had knocked out Unión Huaral of Peru. It was, quite simply, a Clásico del Astillero played at the quarterfinal stage.

The first leg ended scoreless at the Estadio Modelo in Guayaquil. In the return match, Barcelona won 1-0 with a goal from Manuel Uquillas and advanced to the semifinals. That Barcelona side ended up reaching the final for the first time in its history, though it fell to Paraguay's Olimpia in the title decider.

What's curious about that matchup is that, with the two Guayaquil clubs facing each other, Ecuador was guaranteed a semifinal spot no matter what. This time the picture is different: Liga de Quito will have to take on Palmeiras and Independiente del Valle will clash with Flamengo, so nothing is assured in advance.

A Decade Later, Back Among the Elite Eight

For Independiente del Valle, this return to the quarterfinals carries special meaning, since the club hadn't reached this stage since 2016. That year it eliminated River Plate (2-0 in Ecuador and a 1-0 loss at the Monumental, with standout performances from Librado Azcona between the posts), then got past Pumas on penalties in the quarterfinals, pulled off an upset over Boca Juniors in the semifinals, and reached its only final, where it lost to Atlético Nacional.

Since then, the club had been eliminated in the round of 16 both in 2020 (against Nacional) and in 2023 (against Pereira). Now, back among the continent's top eight, the Rayado is hoping to get closer to that memorable run that took it all the way to the final.

The opponent won't be easy: Flamengo, the reigning champion and one of the top title contenders, awaits in the quarterfinals. Still, Independiente del Valle has already shown it can hurt the Mengão. In 2023 it took the Recopa Sudamericana away from them, of all places, at the Maracanã. The first leg of this tie will be played in Ecuador, with the return leg in Brazil, and the quarterfinals are scheduled for September.