A point saved in the last moment: Atlético Grau - Cusco FC 1-1 in the 17th round of the Peruvian Apertura

Saturday, the 10th of October 2020, 3 pm local time (8 pm UTC), Alejandro Villanueva Stadium, Lima (neutral ground), Peru, 17th round of the Peruvian Liga 1, Apertura (or First Stage).
The return of Carlos Ramacciotti as head coach of Cusco FC did not bring the much expected win, and even more, Cusco FC were about to lose, but were saved in the last moment of the game, 10 minutes into stoppage time, by a penalty given for a hand ball in the area. Until then, Cusco FC clearly dominated the game, had a couple of good chances in the first half, other several chances in the second half, there were a few claims for a penalty, but otherwise, the defence of Atlético Grau resisted quite easily, with goalkeeper Medina in excellent shape. Moreover, the Piura based team launched a number of dangerous breaks, and in one of these breaks, a long pass from Ávila went over the Cusco defenders to Gary Correa, who lifted the ball above goalkeeper Gómez and into the net: 1-0 (61'). Another great chance was missed by Collazos (90'), all alone in front of Gómez, who saved.

Miguel Carranza (left, in black) was one of the best players of Cusco FC in the match against Atlético Grau. Source: dechalaca.com

In stoppage time, after a corner from the left, Collazos and Delgado went for a header and collided, both of them remaining on the ground. Delgado was unconscious for a while, a situation which scared everybody in the field, and the ambulance came to carry him away, but in the meantime he regained consciousness. Football resumed in 90'+6', with the referee indicating four minutes of stoppage time. In the last of these minutes, a cross from Carranza hit the hand of a defender in the area and the referee awarded the penalty. With both Ramúa and Carando in the field, it was a surprise that young Brandon Palacios took the responsibility of executing the penalty, while the referee stated that this was the last play of the game. Palacios scored: 1-1 (90'+11') and Cusco FC won a point, while Atlético Grau lost two points.
Grau: Medina - Ávila, Gaona, León, Antón (Yglesias 65') - Marcos, Sánchez (Canales 73') - Ramírez (Correa 35'), Manco, Palomino - Collazos. Head coach: Rafael Castillo.
Cusco: Gómez - Toledo (Chávez 79'), Saravia, Delgado (Gonzales 90'+6'), Céspedes - Atoche, Valenzuela - Gutiérrez (Carranza 55'), Ramúa, Rivera (Palacios 79') - Carando. Head coach: Carlos Ramaccciotti.
Referee: Alejandro Villanueva.
Yellow cards: Gaona 4', Collazos 88', Palomino 90'+9' - Valenzuela 12'.
There was a red card for one of the staff members of Atlético Grau towards the end of the game, for protests.
On Tuesday, the 13th of October, Cusco FC will play against Deportivo Municipal, while Atlético Grau will play on Wednesday against FBC Melgar.