Universidad de Chile secured a spot in the Copa Chile semifinals on November 5, 2026, overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat Deportes Antofagasta 4-0 at Santa Laura Stadium.
The decisive result reversed the 2-0 advantage Antofagasta held from the first leg, Cooperativa reported. The match was managed for Universidad de Chile by head coach Fernando Gago, while Luis Marcoleta led the visiting Deportes Antofagasta side.
Rivero leads comeback
Octavio Rivero proved instrumental in the turnaround, scoring twice and providing an assist. His opening goal came in stoppage time of the first half, a strike into the top corner that shifted momentum in favor of the hosts.
Rivero added his second goal of the match in the 57th minute, leveling the aggregate score and putting the series back on equal footing. While Deportes Antofagasta goalkeeper Juan Pablo Cisternas made several key interventions to keep his side competitive, he could not prevent the late offensive surge from the home team.
Late goals seal the result
The match remained balanced until the final quarter-hour, when Universidad de Chile broke the deadlock in the aggregate. Agustín Arce extended the lead to 3-0 in the 77th minute after a sustained period of pressure. Eduardo Vargas completed the scoring four minutes later, moving past Cisternas to finalize the 4-0 victory.
A goal by Maximiliano Guerrero in the 66th minute was disallowed due to an offside call on Matías Zaldivia, but the disallowed effort did not deter the home side’s momentum. The sequence involved Zaldivia hitting the crossbar with a header, with Guerrero converting the rebound via a volley before the whistle.
Universidad de Chile awaits the winner of Coquimbo Unido and Unión La Calera
With this win, Universidad de Chile becomes a semifinalist in the tournament. They are now waiting to face the winner of the series between Coquimbo Unido and Unión La Calera.
The next stage will be determined on November 24, 2026, when Coquimbo Unido and Unión La Calera play their return leg. Coquimbo currently leads the series 2-0 following an away victory in the initial meeting.
Match details
The match was played before an attendance of 8,592 spectators at Santa Laura in Independencia. Mathías Riquelme served as the referee for the fixture. Disciplinary action during the match included yellow cards for Simón Ramírez of Antofagasta, and Agustín Arce, Tobías Reinhart, and Lucas Barrera for Universidad de Chile.
| Goal | Scorer | Minute |
| 1-0 | Octavio Rivero | 45+2′ |
| 2-0 | Octavio Rivero | 57′ |
| 3-0 | Agustín Arce | 77′ |
| 4-0 | Eduardo Vargas | 79′ |
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