Liga de Quito paid tribute to Edgardo Bauza by winning the pre-season Champions Cup on Sunday, beating Deportivo Cuenca 3-0 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium.

José Tin Delgado opened the scoring in the 17th minute, Leonel Quiñónez increased the score in the 78th minute, and Argentine Ángel González registered the victory in the 90th+1.

In the first game, played last Wednesday at the Alejandro Serrano Aguilar Stadium in the capital of Azuaya, the teams tied 1. The overall score was 4-1.

The league eliminated Aucas (4-1) in the semifinals, while Cuenca eliminated Barcelona SC (2-1).

Angulo scored a great goal by dribbling past three opponents before firing a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Hamilton Piedra from outside the box.

With Deportivo Cuenca outnumbered by the red cards of Ronny Biojó and Bryan Rivera, Liga made it 2-0 with a free kick from Quiñónez, who met Piedra with little reaction.

Argentina’s González scored in added time after latching on to a rebound left by Piedra after Jefferson Arce’s shot.

Said the coach of Azucene, Luis Zubeldía ESPN that the victory was “one hundred percent dedicated” to Edgard Bauza, “any cup that can be given to him does not reflect what he did at the South American level, we had that extra pressure.”

“I had the opportunity to meet him in my previous cycle (in the League),” he said.

The Argentine coach appreciated the home run dispute in the teams’ preparatory cycle and congratulated Deportivo Cuenca, where his brother Juan Manuel Zubeldía is the technical assistant to Gabriel del Valle Medina.

“We have about thirty players, players from the under-20 selection have already joined. Each player’s moment is different, some joined in December, January, and yesterday they were young. “I spoke with Esteban (Paz) and if I came to see a player who would join us, without a doubt we could sign him regardless of his position,” the Whites skipper pointed out.

After defining the Champions Cup, the teams are ready for the start of the 2023 LigaPro Serie A season, next Friday, which opens the curtain with the same actors, again, in Cuenca.

(D)