Quito cruise to finals; San Lorenzo take first win

Liga Deportivo Universitaria de Quito (LDUQ) continued its historic run today with a 2-0 victory over Pachuca FC in a game in which they barely broke a sweat. LDUQ, the first Ecuadorian team to win the Copa Libertadores, got an early lead in the fourth minute by Claudio Bieler and then doubled it in the 25th with a beautiful free kick from Luis Bolanos.

After that, they decided to sit back, as Pachuca desperately tried to make another comeback just like they did in the first game, when they beat Al Ahly (Egypt) 4-2 after being down 2-0. Pachuca did have some opportunities, but some sloppy finishing kept them from booking a ticket into the finals.

LDUQ will now await the winner of tomorrow's Manchester United/Gamba Osaka matchup. Quito will be hoping to make some more history Sunday.

The first game of the three way playoff between Boca Juniors, Tigre and San Lorenzo was played today. Tigre and San Lorenzo squared off and there was no doubt which team was the better side. San Lorenzo came out strong and in the 18th and 20th minute put the game out of reach with goals from Pablo Barrientos and Gonzalo Bergessio. San Lorenzo had various chances to extend their advantage, but they were unable to do so. It looked like it would prove costly when Tigre got a goal back on a header by Leandro Lázzaro. Tigre was not able to threaten though.

The game was coming to a close when a shocking incident doomed Tigre. Their goalkeeper, Daniel Islas (one of the best during the league play), allowed his temper to get the better of him. Barrientos collided with the goalkeeper due to his momentum. Islas did not have the ball, but both players were able to brace for the hit and niether went down. It seemed like a minor incident until Islas allowed his temper to get the better of him and shoved the San Lorenzo attacker in the face, leading to a straight red card.

San Lorenzo won 2-1 and if they beat Boca Juniors Saturday, they could win the league title. Tigre is now on the outside looking in as they need to beat Boca Juniors and hope that San Lorenzo lose. They will also be without their goalkeeper.