Del Valle lose Ecuadorian starlet before Flamengo clash, Libertadores

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·2 September 2026

Del Valle lose Ecuadorian starlet before Flamengo clash, Libertadores

Juan Riquelme Angulo was transferred to Sunderland (ENG) and will miss the Ecuadorian team’s Libertadores quarterfinals

Independiente del Valle (ECU) will be shorthanded against Flamengo in the Libertadores quarterfinals. That is because forward Juan Riquelme Angulo was transferred to Sunderland (ENG). As a result, the young Ecuadorian will not be on the field on Thursday (10), at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa.

What Independiente del Valle said about Angulo’s departure

The Ecuadorian club confirmed the transfer in an official statement this Tuesday (01). “We would have liked to continue counting on him for the challenges we still have this season and to support his development for longer before he took this step. However, we respect the decision he made within the terms of his contract.”

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“Our commitment remains to compete, develop and prepare individuals and football players for the challenges they will face on and off the pitch,” the club said in a statement signed in Quito.

Angulo is regarded as a gem and quickly drew attention in Ecuador

At 1.93 m tall, Angulo made his professional debut for Independiente del Valle in March 2026. On that occasion, the youngster already made his mark by scoring a goal in the 3-1 win over Mushuc Runa (ECU). Therefore, the start of his career drew attention within Ecuadorian football itself.

At the end of that same month, the teenager received his first call-up to Ecuador’s senior national team. In the 2026 Libertadores, for Independiente del Valle, Juan Angulo appears as the 12th player in the squad.

Flamengo have reinforcements to face Del Valle

While Del Valle are losing players, Flamengo have signed new ones. Thus, Joaquín Freitas left River Plate (ARG) to join the Rubro-Negro squad. The 19-year-old forward can still be registered for this stage of the Libertadores

In addition to the young Argentine, the Most Beloved also signed Ecuadorian Anthony Valencia, who came through Del Valle’s academy. The winger was playing in Belgian football and could help eliminate the club that developed him.

Flamengo’s next match

Before facing Del Valle, Flamengo play this Wednesday (02), in a postponed Brasileirão fixture. Thus, the match against Mirassol is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Maracanã.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.