Aucas and Macará climbed into second and third place in Ecuador's Liga Ecuabet standings after securing victories on Sunday in matchday 27 of the 2026 initial phase.
Aucas earned a 1-0 victory over Libertad FC to reach 47 points and move up to second place in the table. Central highland side Macará, based in the city of Ambato, also capitalized on the weekend fixtures to ascend the standings, defeating Orense 2-1 to reach 45 points and take third position.
In the final fixture of the Sunday schedule, Emelec secured a 2-1 victory over Leones del Norte at the Estadio George Capwell. The win lifted Emelec to 35 points, keeping the team in 11th place and level on points with 10th-placed Leones del Norte.
Emelec, known by the nickname El Bombillo, is based in the coastal port city of Guayaquil alongside fellow top-flight club Barcelona SC. Liga Ecuabet serves as the top tier of professional football in Ecuador, featuring clubs competing in a multi-stage league format across the country's Andean highlands and coastal provinces.
Independiente del Valle stays clear at top
Initial phase champions Independiente del Valle maintained their position at the top of the standings with 68 points following a 2-2 draw against Universidad Católica at the Banco Guayaquil stadium. Universidad Católica reached 44 points with the draw to hold fourth place in the standings.
Further down the table, Liga de Quito dropped points after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Guayaquil City at the Christian Benítez stadium in Guayaquil. The loss leaves the team, managed by Gustavo Álvarez, remaining in fifth position with 41 points.
Barcelona SC also failed to pick up points on matchday 27 after losing 2-0 against Manta FC at the Estadio Jocay in the coastal port city of Manta. The defeat leaves Barcelona SC remaining in sixth place with 39 points as the initial phase of the campaign continues.
