Deportivo Quito builds big first-leg lead
Ecuadorian champions Deportivo Quito moved to the brink of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals as they hammered Universidad de Chile 4-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
It was a bad day for Jorge Sampaoli's Universidad, who won the Copa Sudamericana - the second-tier continental tournament in South America - in December.
Argentinian striker Matias Alustiza contributed a brace for Carlos Ischia's Deportivo, opening the scoring in the 29th minute on the counter-attack.
Deportivo midfielder Freddy Olivo was sent off a minute later and Matias Rodriguez quickly equalized at the 36th.
Despite playing a man down, Deportivo managed to score seconds before half-time, as Luis Checa headed the ball into the back of the net from a corner-kick.
Three minutes in the second half were crucial, as Alustiza netted Deportivo's third goal at the 56th and Universidad defender Osvaldo Gonzalez was dismissed.
Finally, Fidel Martinez profited from some poor Universidad defending weaknesses and made it 4-1 with seven minutes remaining.
Martinez told Fox Sports: "We wanted to score a lot of goals. We knew it was going to be a very physical game. We are very happy with the result."
Deportivo forward Luis-Fernando Saritama added: "We had dedication in a very tough match.
"It was hard for us to play a man down in the first half, but we knew we had to wait. Scoring before half-time calmed us down."
The second leg will be played next Thursday in Santiago.