QUITO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Reigning champions Flamengo suffered their worst ever Copa Libertadores result on Thursday, crashing to a 5-0 defeat to Independiente del Valle in Ecuador.
Domenec Torrent's team looked a shadow of the side that dominated Brazilian and South American football last year as Independiente secured their third win from as many matches and rose to the top of Group A.
Flamengo remain second in the group with six points from three matches but with a negative goal difference.
Moises Caicedo put the hosts ahead with a 40th-minute strike at La Casa Blanca in Quito, more than 2,800m above sea level.
Angelo Preciado, Gabriel Torres, Jairo Sanchez, and Beder Caicedo piled further misery on their opponents with second-half goals.
Flamengo had never before lost a Copa Libertadores match by a five-goal margin. Previously, their worst showing in South America's premier club competition was a 5-1 capitulation to Gremio in 1984. Thursday's result was also the heaviest defeat by defending Copa Libertadores champions.
Torrent, who replaced Jorge Jesus as the Rubro-Negro head coach in August, has endured a turbulent start to his tenure at the Rio de Janeiro club.
The former assistant to Pep Guardiola has guided Flamengo to five wins, two draws and four losses, the same number of defeats suffered by the team in the entire 2019 Serie A season. Enditem
