Ecuador’s Del Valle beats Sao Paulo 2-0 to win Copa Sudamericana

Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle broke a monopoly of Brazilian teams in South American club competitions and lifted the Copa Sudamericana.

The 2-0 win against Sao Paulo in the decider gave the Ecuadorians their second title in the region’s second most prestigious tournament.

The goals of the final, played in the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in the Argentinian city of Cordoba, were scored by Lautaro Diaz in the 13th minute and Lorenzo Faravelli in the 67th. Sao Paulo had two players sent off in added time; Jonathan Calleri and Diego Carlos.

The winner of the Copa Libertadores will be a Brazilian team, as has been the case since 2019; Flamengo and Athletico will play for the title on October 29. Last year’s Copa Sudamericana final was played between two Brazilian teams, with Athletico finishing as champion.

De Valle won the Copa Sudamericana in 2019, only nine years after it rose to the first division in Ecuador. The club also played in the Copa Libertadores final in 2016, and some of its stars now play in Europe; Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo and Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapié.