CAYAMBE, Ecuador (Interstat) — Cumbaya scored five first-half goals and defeated visiting 22 de Julio 7-1 on Thursday at Estadio Olímpico Guillermo Albornoz. The home side controlled the match from the opening minutes, built a commanding lead before halftime and added two more goals after the break before 22 de Julio found a late consolation. Cumbaya’s competition record moved to 1 win, 0 losses and 1 draw, and its record across all competitions also stands at 1 win, 0 losses and 1 draw. 22 de Julio fell to 0 wins and 1 loss in the competition and 0 wins and 1 loss across all competitions.

Cumbaya needed only six minutes to open the scoring. The home side struck again in the 8th minute, doubling its lead before 22 de Julio could settle into the match. Cumbaya then added a third goal in the 42nd minute, a fourth in the 43rd minute and a fifth in the 45th minute. The burst gave Cumbaya a 5-0 halftime lead and left the visitors with a steep deficit to address over the final 45 minutes.

22 de Julio struggled to contain Cumbaya’s attack during the opening half. The visitors conceded in the 6th minute and again in the 8th, then gave up three more goals late in the half. Cumbaya’s goals in the 42nd, 43rd and 45th minutes turned a manageable deficit into a five-goal gap at the break. 22 de Julio went into halftime without a goal and with little momentum. The five-goal halftime edge gave Cumbaya control of the match and forced 22 de Julio to chase the game after the restart. The visitors could not reduce the gap until the closing minutes.

After the interval, Cumbaya continued to dictate play and scored a sixth goal in the 59th minute. The home team later was reduced to 10 players when it received a red card in the 81st minute. Despite playing a man down, Cumbaya added a seventh goal in the 87th minute. 22 de Julio finally broke through in the 89th minute, scoring its only goal of the match. The visitors’ goal came too late to alter the outcome, as Cumbaya closed out a lopsided home victory.

The result shaped both teams’ early-season records. Cumbaya’s competition record is now 1 win, 0 losses and 1 draw, and its all-competitions record is identical. 22 de Julio’s competition record is now 0 wins and 1 loss, matching its all-competitions record. Before this match, Cumbaya had drawn 1-1 at Gualaceo in its previous outing. That earlier result remained Cumbaya’s only blemish of the young season. 22 de Julio, meanwhile, remained without a win in either the competition or across all competitions.

The match at Estadio Olímpico Guillermo Albornoz in Cayambe featured eight total goals, seven of them from the home team. Cumbaya’s scoring came in the 6th, 8th, 42nd, 43rd, 45th, 59th and 87th minutes. 22 de Julio’s goal came in the 89th minute. Cumbaya’s red card arrived in the 81st minute, the only sending-off of the game. Cumbaya was the home team, and 22 de Julio was the visiting team. The victory gave Cumbaya a first win in the competition while keeping its overall season record above .500. 22 de Julio remained winless in both the competition and across all competitions.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cumbaya 1, 22 de Julio 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cumbaya with a 63.9 percent probability to win. Cumbaya had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -3. The total score of 8 went under the over/under line of 4.5.