Macará holds group lead after 0-0 draw

Macará left Thursday’s CONMEBOL Sudamericana match with Alianza Atlético in first place in Group A after a 0-0 draw in Ambato, according to CONMEBOL’s team page and match coverage. The Ecuadorian club moved through four group matches unbeaten, with two wins and two draws, while Alianza Atlético remained at the bottom of the section. (encancha.cl) CONMEBOL’s official team listings show Macará on eight points and América de Cali on seven after four games. The result kept the group undecided with two rounds left. (gol.conmebol.com) ### Why does a scoreless draw still leave Macará in front? (gol.conmebol.com) Macará entered the fifth round of the group with a narrow advantage built earlier in the campaign, including a 2-0 away win over Alianza Atlético on April 30 and a 1-0 win at Tigre on April 16, according to CONMEBOL’s match listings. Thursday’s draw added one point, enough to preserve first place because América de Cali had seven points from its first four matches on the official standings snapshot shown on CONMEBOL’s team page. Group A has remained tight throughout the round-robin. CONMEBOL’s team pages list Tigre on five points and Alianza Atlético on one point after four matches, leaving first place still open heading into the final two fixtures for each team. (encancha.cl) ### What do the official records show about Thursday’s match? Thursday’s game was played at Estadio Bellavista in Ambato, with kickoff listed at 02:00 UTC on May 22, which was Thursday night locally on May 21. Match trackers from Sofascore and other live coverage identified it as a Group A fixture between Macará and Alianza Atlético. Published live reports recorded the final score as 0-0. (gol.conmebol.com) CONMEBOL’s official video platform also posted highlights for “Macará vs. Alianza Atlético” after the match, confirming the fixture as part of the 2026 Sudamericana group stage. (gol.conmebol.com) ### How did Macará build this position in Group A? April 9 gave Macará its first point in the section when it drew 1-1 at home with América de Cali, according to CONMEBOL’s team page. April 16 brought a 1-0 away win over Tigre, and April 30 brought a 2-0 away win over Alianza Atlético in Callao. A 2-2 home draw with Tigre on May 6 then took Macará to seven points before Thursday’s stalemate lifted it to eight. (sofascore.com) América de Cali’s path explains why the margin stayed narrow. CONMEBOL’s América page lists a 1-1 draw with Macará on April 9, a 2-1 home win over Alianza Atlético on April 15, a 0-2 loss at Tigre on April 30 and a 2-0 away win over Alianza Atlético on May 6. (gol.conmebol.com) ### What is next in the group? May 28 is the next key date for Macará. CONMEBOL’s official team schedules list América de Cali vs. Macará on May 28 at 21:30 UTC-3, a match that could decide the group winner depending on the other result. CONMEBOL’s original group-stage fixture document also shows the home-and-away pairing between the clubs as part of Group A. (gol.conmebol.com) After the meeting in Colombia, Macará’s position at the top will depend on that result and the closing round of group matches. (conmebol.com) (gol.conmebol.com)