Cusco FC - Sport Huancayo 2-1 (2-0)
Montes 15', 38' - Peña 51'.
Saturday, 30 October 2021, 3 pm local time (8 pm UTC), Miguel Grau Stadium, Callao (neutral ground), Peru, the 17th (last) round, Stage 2, Peruvian First Division.
What an end of the season for Cusco FC! Bottom of the table before the last round, with the smallest chances to avoid relegation among all teams involved, they successfully overcame all odds to remain for one more year in the Peruvian First Division! They needed to win, and other teams to fail... and this happened.
The match against Sport Huancayo was not as easy as expected. However, the difference in attitude was quite clear: Cusco FC had to win to have some chances of survival, while Sport Huancayo were less motivated, thinking about the holidays.
In the first half, Cusco FC adopted the "all or nothing" tactics, launching a total offensive which eventually paid off. Carranza and Rivera had the first opportunities to break the deadlock, but the first goal came after a quarter of an hour: Carranza crossed from the right side to Céspedes on the left, and his pass in the center was tapped in by Mauricio Montes from close range: 1-0 (15').
Jair Céspedes (right) assisted Mauricio Montes (left) with a ground level pass to be pushed in from close range. Source: Cusco FC Facebook page
While Cusco FC had other chances as well, the second goal came from a set piece towards the end of the first half. Alfredo Ramúa executed a free kick from the left side, and the same Mauricio Montes headed perfectly to the upper corner: 2-0 (38').
Mauricio Montes (left) and Alfredo "Chapu" Ramúa congratulate each other for the second goal. Source: Cusco FC Facebook page.
Most people would have thought that the game was over at 2-0. However, Sport Huancayo came back in the second half. A cross from Daniel Morales on the left was headed in by Giancarlo Peña: 2-1 (51'). The match was far from over, and Sport Huancayo were one goal away from a draw... which would have meant relegation for Cusco FC. Fear started to emerge, and Cusco FC played more conservatively, trying to defend a minimal advantage, in front of a team, Sport Huancayo, which dominated in the field, but reached rarely the goal and had few opportunities to score. Moreover, it was Cusco FC which had the best chances to make it 3-1 and to live less dangerously the final minutes. Nevertheless, those minutes were gone... and Cusco FC remained in the First Division!
Overwhelming joy at the end of the match for Cusco FC players, staff and supporters, with Mauricio Montes (MVP of this game) in the center. Source: Cusco FC Facebook page
Cusco FC needed at least two of their four opponents in the fight to avoid relegation to lose (in the case of Univerasidad de San Martín and Alianza Atlético) or to draw (in the case of Alianza Universidad and Deportivo Binacional) in the last round, in matches played at the same time. Hopes were not high, given that the same story was true for every game: the motivation should have been higher for the teams which had to fight for something, those in danger of relegation. However... a miracle happened for Cusco FC: not two, nor three, but all four opponents lost or drew! Alianza Universidad lost 2-1 to Ayacucho; Binacional drew 0-0 with Universidad César Vallejo; Universidad de San Martín lost 4-0 (!!) to UTC; and Alianza Atlético lost 2-0 to Deportivo Municipal! Who would have believed?! Apart from Alianza Universidad, which remained with 23 points at bottom, the other four teams all had 25 points, and the goal difference was decisive to separate them. Cusco FC had the best goal difference, and this was already known from the beginning, so they were spared from relegation, the same as Alianza Atlético, which had the second best goal difference. Deportivo Binacional had the second worst goal difference, so they came in 16th place and will have to play the relegation / promotion play-offs against the second classified in the Second Division, Carlos Stein. Universidad de San Martín had the worst goal difference and were relegated for the first time in their history!
Results and tables:
Round 17 (29-31 October 2021)
Cienciano – Alianza Lima 1-1
Binacional – Universidad César Vallejo 0-0
Cusco FC – Sport Huancayo 2-1
UTC – Universidad de San Martín 4-0
Carlos A. Mannucci – Academia Cantolao 1-0
Alianza Atlético – Deportivo Municipal 0-2
Alianza Universidad – Ayacucho 1-2
Sporting Cristal – Sport Boys 1-1
FBC Melgar – Universitario 1-2
Stage 2 (Clausura) table
|
1 |
Alianza Lima |
17 |
12 |
4 |
1 |
27-11 |
40 |
Qualified for the play-offs |
|
2 |
Sporting Cristal |
17 |
10 |
4 |
3 |
39-23 |
34 |
|
|
3 |
Universitario de Deportes |
17 |
9 |
5 |
3 |
31-19 |
32 |
|
|
4 |
FBC Melgar |
17 |
9 |
4 |
4 |
34-15 |
31 |
|
|
5 |
Sport Boys |
17 |
7 |
7 |
3 |
24-20 |
28 |
|
|
6 |
Cienciano |
17 |
6 |
7 |
4 |
25-21 |
25 |
|
|
7 |
Deportivo Municipal |
17 |
7 |
3 |
7 |
26-22 |
24 |
|
|
8 |
Universidad César Vallejo |
17 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
14-12 |
24 |
|
|
9 |
Carlos A. Mannucci |
17 |
7 |
3 |
7 |
27-26 |
24 |
|
|
10 |
UTC |
17 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
19-21 |
23 |
|
|
11 |
Ayacucho FC |
17 |
6 |
4 |
7 |
21-26 |
22 |
|
|
12 |
Binacional |
17 |
6 |
3 |
8 |
24-29 |
21 |
|
|
13 |
Cusco FC |
17 |
5 |
3 |
9 |
31-34 |
18 |
|
|
14 |
Sport Huancayo |
17 |
3 |
9 |
5 |
18-21 |
18 |
|
|
15 |
Academia Cantolao |
17 |
4 |
5 |
8 |
20-24 |
17 |
|
|
16 |
Alianza Atlético |
17 |
4 |
3 |
10 |
21-37 |
15 |
|
|
17 |
Alianza Universidad |
17 |
3 |
5 |
9 |
17-32 |
14 |
|
|
18 |
Universidad San Martín |
17 |
1 |
4 |
12 |
8-33 |
7 |
|
Rules for classification (except for first place): 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) drawing of lots.
A play-off is needed to decide the winner if two or more teams are tied on points on top of the table at the end of the tournament.
Aggregate table (Stage 1 + Stage 2)
|
1 |
Sporting Cristal (AW, Q) |
26 |
18 |
4 |
4 |
57-29 |
58 |
Qualified for the play-offs & CL |
|
2 |
Alianza Lima (CW, Q) |
26 |
16 |
8 |
2 |
39-17 |
56 |
Qualified for the play-offs & CL |
|
3 |
Universitario de Deportes |
26 |
13 |
8 |
5 |
43-30 |
46 |
[1] Qualified for C. Libertadores |
|
4 |
Univ. César Vallejo |
26 |
11 |
9 |
6 |
31-20 |
42 |
Qualified for Copa Libertadores |
|
5 |
FBC Melgar |
26 |
11 |
7 |
8 |
45-27 |
40 |
Qualified for C. Sudamericana |
|
6 |
Cienciano |
26 |
10 |
9 |
7 |
39-33 |
38 |
[1] Qualified for C. Sudamericana |
|
7 |
Sport Boys |
26 |
10 |
8 |
8 |
36-34 |
37 |
[1] Qualified for C. Sudamericana |
|
8 |
Ayacucho FC |
26 |
9 |
10 |
7 |
37-36 |
37 |
Qualified for C. Sudamericana |
|
9 |
Carlos A. Mannucci |
26 |
10 |
6 |
10 |
40-40 |
36 |
|
|
10 |
UTC |
26 |
9 |
6 |
11 |
28-33 |
33 |
|
|
11 |
Sport Huancayo |
26 |
6 |
12 |
8 |
26-30 |
30 |
|
|
12 |
Deportivo Municipal |
26 |
9 |
4 |
13 |
32-37 |
30 |
|
|
13 |
Academia Cantolao |
26 |
7 |
6 |
13 |
28-37 |
27 |
|
|
14 |
Cusco FC |
26 |
6 |
8 |
12 |
43-47 |
25 |
|
|
15 |
Alianza Atlético |
26 |
7 |
4 |
15 |
31-46 |
25 |
|
|
16 |
Binacional (PO) |
26 |
7 |
4 |
15 |
32-50 |
25 |
Relegation/promotion play-offs |
|
17 |
Univ. de San Martín (R) |
26 |
7 |
5 |
14 |
18-39 |
25 |
[1] Relegated to Second Division |
|
18 |
Alianza Universidad (R) |
26 |
6 |
6 |
14 |
25-45 |
23 |
[1] Relegated to Second Division |
Q – Qualified for the play-offs
AW – Stage 1 (Apertura) Winners
CW – Stage 2 (Clausura) Winners
PO – Relegation / promotion play-off
R – Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) drawing of lots; 5) play-off (only if needed to decide teams for relegation)
[1] Universitario de Deportes, Universidad de San Martín, Cienciano, Alianza Universidad, Sport Boys, Cusco FC, and Deportivo Municipal have been all deducted 1 point in the aggregate table for financial irregularities.
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