Liga de Quito pulled off a major upset on Wednesday, eliminating defending champions Botafogo from the 2025 Copa Libertadores with a 2-0 victory in the Round of 16 second leg. The Ecuadorian side overturned the 1-0 deficit from the first leg and will now face fellow Brazilian giants São Paulo in the quarterfinals.

Bolivian midfielder Gabriel Villamil opened the scoring in the 7th minute, blasting home a strike after receiving a pass from Lisandro Alzugaray, with a slight deflection off defender Alexander Barboza wrong-footing goalkeeper Jhon.

With the aggregate tied, LDU Quito grew in confidence and dominated possession against a Botafogo side that struggled to respond and rarely threatened in attack.

The decisive moment came in the 60th minute, when Alzugaray converted a penalty with a powerful shot that completely beat Jhon, sealing the series turnaround for the Ecuadorians.

Despite slight improvement in the final minutes, Botafogo’s efforts came too late. Their best chance came when Vitinho missed a clear opportunity to force penalties, sending his shot wide of goalkeeper Gonzalo Valle’s post.

LDU finished the match with ten men after defender Richard Mina was sent off with a straight red card in the 83rd minute, but Tiago Nunes’ side held firm to secure qualification.

The victory sees Liga de Quito — known as the “Rey de Copas” of Ecuador — advance to the quarterfinals, where they will meet São Paulo in another high-stakes clash against a Brazilian powerhouse.

For Botafogo, who lifted the trophy in 2024, the elimination marks a disappointing early exit as they failed to match the level that made them champions just a year ago.