Universidad Catolica Rallies to Beat Coquimbo Unido 2-1 on the Road

It started sluggish and ended in celebration on the road. Universidad Catolica shook off a rough stretch and pulled out a key 2-1 win over Coquimbo Unido at Estadio Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso, in a match for matchday 19 of the 2026 Liga de Primera.

The result came at just the right time for a battered squad. UC arrived in Coquimbo carrying the weight of a loss to Nublense and, above all, the departure of Jose Maria Buljubasich, who stepped down from his role as sporting director after 16 years on the job, right in the middle of the season. Coquimbo, for its part, was also looking to shake off the bitter taste of its Copa Libertadores round of 16 elimination.

Through the first half, the script seemed written for the home side. Hernan Caputto's men did not need to be a hurricane. A handful of flashes were enough to produce the clearest chances of the match, all inside the first quarter of an hour (minutes 12, 14 and 19). Just when it looked like both sides would head to the break scoreless, Nicolas Johansen showed up. Off a cross from the left and a pause from Francisco Salinas inside the box, the forward slipped in at the far post to tap it home and make it 1-0 right before halftime.

In the second half, Coquimbo kept controlling the game without much trouble, while Catolica struggled to find answers. The match suddenly turned in the 69th minute: Diego Corral beat Benjamin Gazzolo for pace, went one on one with goalkeeper Diego Sanchez and squared it for Fernando Zampedri, who made no mistake and reached his 20th goal of the tournament. The goal from his captain and all-time top scorer lifted the mood for the Catolica side, which loosened up and completed the turnaround ten minutes later. Corral was once again involved, this time setting up Zampedri, who beat the keeper and laid it off for Martin Gomez to finish first time and seal the final 2-1 in the 79th minute.

With the result, UC climbed to third place with 33 points, three behind second-placed Universidad de Chile. Coquimbo, meanwhile, stayed stuck in ninth place with 26 points.

Both sides are already looking ahead. Coquimbo Unido will host Huachipato on Sunday, while Universidad Catolica will visit O'Higgins on Monday the 31st, in games corresponding to matchday 21 of the tournament.