Universidad de Chile crushed LDU Quito in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana final in front of 45,000 fans to win 4-0 on aggregate and lift their first ever continental trophy in their first continental final.
The Chileans went into the game with a 1-0 advantage after winning the first leg in Quito, and with La U also on a 34-game unbeaten streak it was going to be a very tough ask for Edgardo Bauza's side.
A tough ask became a nigh-on impossibility just three minutes into the game as the Chileans came flying out of the blocks and scored through the highly regarded Eduardo Vargas, who fired home a left-footed shot from just inside the penalty area.
The home fans already sensed that it would be their day, and La U continued to press forward to secure the win. Vargas brought a fine save from Alexander Domínguez after eight minutes, and the Chileans' level of intensity and precision was too much for Liga to cope with as they struggled to find a way to test Jhonny Herrera in the La U goal.
It was essentially game over midway through the second half when Jorge Guagua was sent off for the Ecuadorians for an elbow on substitute Gustavo Lorenzetti, and 10 minutes later Lorenzetti himself made it 2-0 after good work from Vargas and Eugenio Mena to spark wild celebrations in the stands.
Rodríguez's dismissal for a second yellow card six minutes from time might have given optimistic Liga fans the faintest glimmer of hope, but moments later it was 3-0. It was Vargas again, this time picking the ball up 35 yards from goal, turning and beating two Liga defenders before deftly chipping the ball over Domínguez for his 11th goal of the tournament, breaking Humberto Suazo's record of 10 goals in a single tournament.
After the final whistle went, signalling La U's first win in a continental competition in their 84-year history, Diego Rivarola enthused that "this is something historic for us. To be involved in this team is incredible - this moment will be unforgettable".
"I could never have imagined I'd achieve this," Gustavo Canales added. "I am touching the sky with my hands after all that I have gone through to become a professional footballer. Thank you to my family for always supporting me.
"We never said so, but we knew that we played a different sort of football to other teams. We will never stop attacking. Now we can say that we are the best and lift the cup".
Universidad de Chile are still unbeaten in a run that extends 35 games back to July 14, while they broke a number of team records on their way to winning the competition. By winning 10 and drawing two games in the Sudamericana, they had the highest winning ratio of any team to win the competition (89%), while they also conceded the fewest goals (two) and Jhonny Herrera broke Manuel Araya's record, set in 1979 for Palestino, for the longest period without conceding a goal (633 minutes).
Line-ups:
Universidad de Chile: Herrera; O. González, M. González, Rojas; Rodríguez, Aránguiz, Díaz, Mena; Vargas, Canales (Rivarola), Castro.
LDU Quito: Domínguez; Guagua, Araujo, Calderón; Reasco (Gámez), Acosta, Hidalgo, Ambrosi, González; Bolaños (Calderón), Barcos.
