It's a short step from tormenting Chelsea to being demolished by Ecuadorian pride

Traditions are there to be broken, although the following example isn't a tradition as such, but rather a dominance whose end everyone in South America was eagerly waiting for.

Ever since the 2016 Copa Libertadores, when the Colombian Atletico Nacional beat Independiente del Valle from Ecuador in the grand final, only Brazilian and Argentinian sides have played a trophy match in the most renowned South American club competition.

Out of the previous eight finals, four were all-Brazilian, one was all-Argentinian, and the remaining three were played between representatives of the two most elite football countries on the continent.

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However, the end of this ruthless dominance now seems closer than ever - all thanks to the pride of Ecuadorian football, LDU Quito. The popular Albos (The Whites) are still the only club from this country in the far west of South America to win the Copa Libertadores.

In 2008, LDU beat Fluminense on penalties in the grand final and lifted "La Copa." That triumph inscribed their name in golden letters in the annals of Ecuadorian football history and earned them the nickname "Rey de Copas Ecuatoriano" ("Ecuadorian King of Cups").

Seventeen years later, LDU are close to advancing to their second-ever Copa Libertadores final and breaking the Brazilian-Argentinian dominance, as they crushed Palmeiras 3-0 at home in the first semi-final leg last night!

Even though no one saw it coming and despite being the underdogs among the last four teams - Racing from Argentina and Flamengo from Brazil face each other in the second semi-final - Albos managed to upset the much more powerful rival, led by the tactician from its homeland, Tiago Nunes.

LDU sealed the deal even before the break, thanks to the brace-scorer Gabriel Villamil and Lisandro Alzugaray, who was impeccable from the spot. The home crew managed to defend the comfortable lead until the end, gaining a massive edge ahead of the second leg (October 31, 03.30).

This victory becomes even greater, considering that Palmeiras just recently participated in the FIFA Club World Cup, where they topped the group with Inter Miami, Al Ahly, and Porto, eliminated Botafogo in the Round of 16, and nearly knocked out the future champions, Chelsea, losing 2-1, thanks to a late own goal of their custodian Weverton.

Jose Lopez of Palmeiras in despair (©Franklin Jacome/Getty Images)

Nevertheless, last night, they were diminished by the team worth less than a tenth of their value (€18.45 million compared to €212.15 million, according to Transfermarkt). Moreover, Palmeiras, with the former players of Man United (Andreas Pereira), Lazio (Felipe Anderson), Nottingham Forest (Ramon Sosa), AC Milan (Gustavo Gomez), and Barcelona (Vitor Roque) in the squad, were shocked by a team with only six foreign players coming from Haiti, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina.

To make matters worse for the Brazilian giants, only four LDU players have European football experience. Jeison Medina made three appearances for the Spanish second-tier side Real Zaragoza and ten appearances for the Greek Lamia, Alejandro Cabeza clocked 11 minutes for the Russian club Sochi, Oscar Zambrano played eight games for the English Championship side Hull City, and Michael Estrada spent seven and a half months at the Bulgarian CSKA Sofia as a loanee from the Mexican Toluca.

LDU players pose for a team photo before the clash against Palmeiras (©Franklin Jacome/Getty Images)

This Albos win is yet another proof of the fast and incredible development of Ecuadorian football. Not only are LDU on the verge of the Copa Libertadores final, but their compatriots Independiente del Valle have reached the Copa Sudamericana (the South American equivalent to the UEFA Europa League), where they drew 1-1 against the Brazilian Atletico Mineiro in the first leg in Quito, conceding a leveller in added time.

Finally, the Ecuador national team was the 13th crew to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (including the three automatically qualified hosts), finishing the CONMEBOL qualifiers as runners-up, just behind the world champions Argentina and ahead of giants like Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia.

Hence, Ecuadorian football is going through its glorious days and its future is bright. LDU Quito are one of the biggest reasons for renaissance, proving that a good system and hard work can often defeat much stronger and more expensive rivals.