Tight final game sees Ecuador claim the north stage of the CONMEBOL Liga Sudamericana
The Ecuadorian selection earned the title of the best in the North Zone of the CONMEBOL Liga Sudamericana de Fútbol Playa, after seeing off five rival nations over five days of Round Robin matches.
Paraguay, Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela were the other teams taking part in the event, which took place in the coastal city of Manta, Ecuador.
The hosts reached 21 points overall thanks to the efforts of both the senior selection and the Under-21 team in the competition organized by the CONMEBOL Directorate of Development, within the framework of the Evolution program.
Ecuador and Paraguay were level-pegging going into their final match on the last day and, in a match-up not for the faint-hearted, the equatorial side eventually took the game 5-4.
In the Under-20 competition, the same match saw the Albirroja and their hosts tied at 5-5, but Paraguay were more clinical from the penalty spot, winning 2-1.
However, they only took one point from the game which proved costly.
The Ecuadorians were crowned the top team, after winning three points in the last match against the ‘Pynandi’, who ranked second in the northern zone, accumulating 19 points. Colombia, with 12 points, ended the tournament in third position.
Now, Ecuador must face Brazil, the best in the South Zone, to see who will claim the next edition of the CONMEBOL Liga Sudamericana de Fútbol Playa.
Results
Colombia 4-2 Venezuela
Ecuador 5-4 Paraguay
Under-20:
Colombia 7-5 Venezuela
Ecuador 5(1)-(2)5 Paraguay *PSO
