Deportivo Cuenca edged Guayaquil City 1-0 in Serie A, winning a contest in which they had far less of the ball but far more of the shooting. Despite seeing only 37% possession, Cuenca were the side asking the questions, and their persistence was rewarded late on. A draw looked a real possibility for long spells, but the home side found the breakthrough when it mattered.
The game was tight and increasingly niggly, with Santiago Postel, Miller Bolaños, Yardely Rodriguez and Mateo Maccari all booked before half-time. Guayaquil City controlled possession but could not turn it into clear chances, and the decisive moment came in the 78th minute when Cristhian Alexander Benalcazar Folleco scored the only goal. That strike separated the sides in a match that had produced little in front of goal until then.
The standout statistic was Cuenca's shot count - 24 attempts to Guayaquil City's five - even though the visitors had 506 accurate passes to Cuenca's 266. Cuenca were outplayed in possession terms but dominated the game's key moments, taking one of their four efforts on target. Guayaquil City will wonder how they left empty-handed after enjoying so much of the ball.
