Liga de Quito rallies in Ambato to book its spot in the Ecuabet League final hexagonal

Liga de Quito had to come from behind in Ambato, but in the end it walked away with all three points and, with them, a direct ticket to the final hexagonal of the Ecuabet League. The win over Técnico Universitario left Gustavo Álvarez satisfied, and in his post match press conference the Argentine coach chose to talk more about how his team played than about the scoreline itself.

Álvarez was clear about what he liked most from his players: the response after falling behind on the scoreboard. Coming back to win on the road is no small feat.

Beyond the result, I leave here satisfied with how the team played. Still, there are always things to fix and improve. I want to highlight the effort from the whole team. It was key to turning the score around and getting the win.Gustavo Álvarez

A first step toward the hexagonal

For Álvarez, finishing among the top six is not just a number on the table, it means peace of mind heading into what comes next. The coach reviewed the match and admitted that his side lacked some sharpness in the first half, even though he was convinced by the overall performance.

The best thing about the last few matches was how we played, beyond the results. The first half wasn't bad, but we lacked finishing. There's always something to fix. In my view, we won by playing a good match, and the collective always brings out the best in the individual players. Qualifying for the hexagonal is an important first step.Gustavo Álvarez

The coach also touched on chance creation, something he has been pushing to sharpen with the white shirted squad. He explained that the team picked up the pace in the second half, and that turned out to be decisive in tipping the balance.

"Overall, we played a good match. Like I said, we created several chances, but we lacked finishing, and that's something we need to keep working on to fix. In the second half we upped our tempo and were more effective when it came to finishing," Álvarez added, also noting that the feeling coming out of Ambato was different from the previous match. The team stayed calm despite the unfavorable scoreline, trusting that the equalizer would come and that once the game opened up, more chances would follow to extend the lead.

Concern over Ricardo Adé

The other storyline from the match was Ricardo Adé being substituted with a physical complaint, which raised alarm bells given the upcoming clash with Palmeiras. Álvarez, however, played down the concern and said he was trusting the club's medical staff for updates.

With its spot in the hexagonal already secured, Liga de Quito now turns its attention to Brazil, where it will play the first leg of the CONMEBOL Libertadores quarterfinals against Palmeiras.