Alianza Lima took a big step toward the Copa Sudamericana quarter-finals on Wednesday, defeating Universidad Católica de Quito 2-0 at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva thanks to a decisive brace from Argentine forward Alan Cantero.

The first leg of this Round of 16 clash was an intense, back-and-forth affair, with both sides creating dangerous chances and both goalkeepers — Guillermo Viscarra for Alianza and Johan Lara for Católica — making key saves to keep the game level for much of the night.

The match saw its first major incident in the 30th minute when Fernando Gaibor forced a strong save from Lara. Moments later, Alianza suffered a blow when Paolo Guerrero left the field with a muscle injury, replaced by Hernán Barcos. Both teams had late first-half chances, but neither could find the breakthrough.

After hitting the post twice early in the second half, Alianza broke the deadlock in the 76th minute. Barcos provided a pinpoint assist, and Cantero headed the ball into the net to make it 1-0. The Argentine struck again ten minutes later, capitalising on a defensive error to sprint clear and slot home the second goal.

Lara denied Pablo Ceppelini late on to prevent a third, keeping Católica’s hopes alive ahead of the return leg in Quito.

With a two-goal cushion, Alianza Lima will head to Ecuador with confidence, while Universidad Católica face an uphill battle to overturn the deficit and keep their Sudamericana campaign alive.