The Ecuador under-23 team remains undefeated in the South American Pre-Olympic tournament by beating Bolivia 0-2 this Friday, which was eliminated on the third day of Group A, in a match that was played at the Brígido Iriarte stadium in Caracas.
Sensational! John Mercado and Allen Obando gave Ecuador a 2-0 victory over Bolivia and are one step away from qualifying for the final quadrangle of the U-23 Pre-Olympic
La Tri, with a great individual and collective level, took the lead on the scoreboard with John Mercado in the 22nd minute. The 22-year-old striker, from the Portuguese AVS, took possession of the ball, began to leave rivals in the way with diagonals and then He took an unstoppable shot for goalkeeper Bruno Poveda.
Mercado himself returned to the attack in the 29th when he entered the area from the left, but this time Poveda won the duel by keeping the ball.
La Verde reacted the next minute with a mid-range shot from Miguel Villarroel, which passed close to the Ecuadorian goal guarded by Alexis Villa.
In the second half the game was more even. Bolivia tried by all means to get the tie to stay alive in the tournament but lacked forcefulness, while Ecuador took advantage of the agility of its players to counterattack.
And so came the second goal through Allen Obando, who in the 93rd minute put the finishing touch on the Bolivian team.
La Verde, already eliminated and with one point, only has one game left, the one on the last day, on February 1 against Colombia.
With the victory, Ecuador, led by Miguel Bravo, remains in the lead with 7 integers and depends on itself to seal its pass to the final home run.
The tournament grants two direct places to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
On the fourth day of Group A, next Monday the 29th, La Tri will face Brazil and Colombia will play against Venezuela. (D)