Wednesday 18 August 2021

Second consecutive defeat for Cusco FC, 2-3 to Carlos A. Mannucci, and Claudio Vivas is sacked

Tuesday, 17 August 2021, 11 am local time (4 pm UTC), Miguel Grau Stadium, Callao (neutral ground), Peru, matchday 7, stage 2, Peruvian First Division.

It's all over for Claudio Vivas as manager of Cusco FC after another defeat, 3-2 to Carlos A. Mannucci, which buries even more the team in the relegation zone, and ever farther from safety. It is not just this result, but an entire series of negative results, as Cusco FC has only managed 2 wins in the whole season, one in Stage 1 and another one in Stage 2, out of 16 matches so far. This looks like a disaster for a club which once was one of the pretenders to the national title.

Claudio Vivas is no longer the manager of Cusco FC. Source: ovacion.pe

The match against Carlos A. Mannucci was very similar to their previous game, against UTC. Very much the same, the opponents, Mannucci in this case, had 2-0 at half time almost out of nothing, more exactly after two corner kicks, in which they efficiently capitalized their better aerial game, and scored twice. First, the ball moved randomly in the area, and eventually hit the unlucky Yorkman Tello, who scored an own goal: 0-1 (20'). Then, a header by Rely Fernández assisted Gonzalo Godoy at the far post: 0-2 (32'). Cusco FC maintained a better ball possession throughout the entire game, but did not reach dangerously in the first half.

In the second half, however, just like in the previous game, Cusco FC went "all in", trying to revert the result, to no avail. Carlos A. Mannucci remained in defensive mood for long periods of time and seldom tried out on a break. Curiously, Cusco's goals also arrived from corner kicks. First, Mauricio Montes headed towards Manuel Corrales, whose spectacular back-shot hit the target: 1-2 (61'). There was enough time for an equalizer, but it did not come. Víctor Cedrón scored a goal, erroneously cancelled for offside, and Mauricio Montes was twice handled in the box, but the referee did not award a penalty for Cusco FC, so they might also place the blame on the referees. They also had bad luck because of injuries: Carranza, who just came in at half time, went off injured, then Rengifo, who replaced Carranza in 71', had to leave with several minutes to go because of an injury, and Cusco FC remained in ten because all substitutions had been made. Instead of 2-2, it was 3-1, as Carlos A. Mannucci succeeded to finalize a counterattack by means of Osnar Noronha, all alone in front of the goal (85'). It was the only goal out of action, because the last goal came after another corner kick: Mauricio Montes's header found Víctor Cedrón near the far post, and his precise shot went in at the upper corner: 2-3 (90'+3'). It was anyway too late for anything else.

Cusco: Enríquez - Velásquez (Aubert 78'), Rizzo, Figueroa, Corrales - Tello (Ramúa 58'), Abisab - Espinoza (Carranza 46', Rengifo 71'), Cedrón, Rivera - Carrillo (Montes 58'). Manager: Claudio Vivas.

Mannucci: Heredia - Rabanal (Escate 46', Palomino 77'), Godoy, Moreno, Á. Chávez - Dioses (R. Chávez 82'), Fuentes, F. Rodríguez, R. Fernández (Núñez 69') - J.C. Fernández (Noronha 69'), Guevgeozián. Manager: Pablo Peirano.

Referee: Joel Alarcón.

Yellow card: Fuentes 50'.

Carlos A. Mannucci are at least temporarily leaders of Stage 2 in Peru, while Cusco FC are second to last in the aggregate table, a position which leads to the Second Division. Cusco's next game will be against Sporting Cristal, the winners of Stage 1 and defending Peruvian champions. Whoever comes as manager will have an extremely difficult start and an equally difficult task, to save the team from relegation. Argentinian Marcelo Grioni, former manager of Real Garcilaso / Cusco FC (2017) and Cienciano (2019-2021), is one of the names which are already discussed by the media and might be soon confirmed by the club.

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