At international level, Emelec’s last standout performance came in the 2015 edition of the Copa Libertadores, when the Astillera side made it to the quarter-finals. Placement in the semi-finals did not materialize because despite the electric team beating Tigres de Monterrey 1-0 in Guayaquil, the home team won 2-0 in Mexico.

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That fine campaign included a brilliant victory for the Blues in Santiago over Universidad de Chile (1-0), with a goal from Miller Bolaños. And although Emelec fell 3-2 in Porto Alegre against Inter, in Group 4, the aggressive, abrupt and disrespectful play of those still led by Gustavo Quinteros left a good image of the millionaires. A few days later, the Argentinian coach left the club, hired by the Ecuadorian Football Association, as the coach of the national team.

Dixon Arroyo and his disagreement with Emelec: “I wrote to the president, vice president, manager and coordinator and they did not give me the reason for my payment, and they already told me that they will not pay me”

In the Copa Sudamericana, to find Emelec’s leading performance, you have to go back to 2014. That year, they stayed in the opening semi-final against Sao Paulo 6-5 on aggregate. The Paulistas won 4-2 at home, and although Quinteros’ team won 3-2 in Capwell, it was not enough to advance.

‘Do what you think, because later they throw it away; if you have to get someone out, do it’, is the message of Ricardo Armendáriz, former coach of Emelec to current coach Miguel Rondelli

failures and frustrations

These positive events and salvageable results are sporadic in the history of Emelec Cups. Reaching the semi-finals of the Libertadores in 1995 is approaching its 30th anniversary. That unforgettable placement is getting further and further away in time. Close, on the other hand, are failures, frustrations, eliminations, victories or mistakes against opponents of little importance, as happened against humble Danubio from Uruguay last Wednesday night (1-0) in Group B from South America

Is Ismael Rescalvo gone yet? Emelec falls with Delfín SC, who beat the recently promoted and behind that is one of the most defeated today

it is written in the newspaper Earth, from Montevideo, about the match that was decided almost from the start: “The teams hadn’t even settled on the field yet, when Danubio found the best possible scenario to start his Copa Sudamericana debut on the right foot. And that is that in the first corner kick launched by Alejo Cruz, defender Martín Rea seems to have intercepted the delivery. After his header, the ball hit the crossbar, and the rebound was connected by Juan Millán to make it 1-0 in the 5th minute. The goal fell like a bucket of cold water for Emelec, who was forced to rearm his ranks.

About DT MIguel Rondelli it was mentioned: “The best away game was in the first 15 minutes of the second half, but then the team got confused. Danubio, on the other hand, took advantage of his opponent’s shortcomings and was intelligent. He managed to penetrate the space several times and did not find a big difference because Pedro Ortiz was very solid throughout the game”.

‘We are eliminating caste’

Emelecista’s resigned goalkeeper said after the game in Uruguay: “We had a lack of concentration that cost us the game, the opponent took advantage of the opportunities and sent them to save. What remains is to keep working for what is to come. We took out the caste, but it was impossible. We knew that we were going to a difficult field, such as this one in this club”.

“The cup holders will outperform, not just participate,” commented Álex Aguinaga on March 29, before ruling that “Emelec is not a cup holder team.” For journalist Claudio Mauri, from the newspaper Nation, from Buenos Aires, possessing the “goblet label” implies possessing “a series of attributes” such as “character, personality, firmness, temperament.” The definition was made in 2016.

Has Emelec transcended in cups? In 2022, he said goodbye to the Libertadores in the round of 16. In 2021, he did not go past the group stage of the South American because he was humiliated by Talleres de Córdoba at Capwell 1-4. In 2020, he failed in the second preliminary round of the South American Championship. In the Libertadores, he had a bye in the round of 16 in 2019, 2017, 2013 and 2012, but that same competition was his embarrassing bottom in 2018, 2016 and 2010 (and the penultimate one in 2011). Those embarrassments are fresher in the memory than the happy campaign of 1995, with Juan Ramón Silva as strategist.

Emelec’s fiasco at international championships continues. Pedro Ortiz confirms that in front of the Danube, the millionaires got “caste”, but the collective performance of the Guayaquil team is still as bad as that shown in the unproductive era of Ismael Rescalvo, between 2019 and 2022.

‘They had more punch’

Miguel Rondelli, the Spaniard’s successor on the blue bench, has not yet managed to force Emelec to work collectively. On an individual level, apart from Miler Bolaños -now injured-, since the official start of the 2023 season, no one has stood out in the millionaires’ team.

This was what Rondelli had to say about the yawning 90 minutes offered by his team in Montevideo: “It was a tough game, as we imagined it; they were much sharper. It’s like two boxers facing each other, and one has the stronger punch. We didn’t have it, we just shot at the goal”.

The problems are not only on the field. There are reprimands and warnings from the manager against the team for paralyzing training on March 30, in support of Dixon Arroyo. Volan is claiming arrears of wages and requested the intervention of the Pro League for collection. Arroyo was not called up to play against Delfín last week. nor did he travel with the delegation to Montevideo.

How long has Emelec not experienced, institutionally, controversial situations such as these described in detail? Against Huracán, on April 20, in Capwell, Emelec will play their second match for the Copa Sudamericana 2023. On their stage, the millionaires have won one of their last four international matches. (D)