Friday, 27 August 2021, 3:30 pm local time (8:30 pm UTC), Alejandro Villanueva Stadium, Lima (neutral ground), Peru, 9th round, Stage 2, Peruvian First Division.
While this was not even remotely considered at the beginning of the season, Cusco FC are now last in the classification and are serious candidates for relegation with 8 rounds remaining. Marcelo Grioni has finally arrived as manager but he has little time to clear up the existing mess. In the previous game, Cusco FC lost 4-1 to Sporting Cristal, with Castellano as interim manager because Grioni was still on his way to Lima, where all matches are now played.
The match against Cienciano gave a bit of hope to Cusco FC fans, as few as they are, as Cusco FC were very close to win the game and would have certainly deserved the three points. But, as in other games they were lucky to get a point, in this one the lucky ones were those of Cienciano, especially judging by the looks of the last 30 minutes of the match. Well, except for the last attack of the match, when Cienciano equalized.
In the first half, the game was quite balanced. Cienciano took the lead rather early, as Jordan Guivin's shot took a deflection out of Gonzales, which misled the goalkeeper Pretel: 0-1 (10'). Aldair Perleche suffered a serious injury in 27' and the game was paused for about seven minutes, until the ambulance left the field. It is bizarre that the referee probably did not count correctly those minutes, because the extra time for the first half was in fact 12 minutes instead of 7 for no particular reason. Not long after the game was resumed, a free kick for Cusco FC on the right side was executed by Víctor Cedrón, and the goalkeeper Ferreyra made a tremendous error by not catching a simple ball: 1-1 (38').
The cross by Cedrón was too long, but goalkeeper Ferreyra tried to save with the feet instead of catching the ball, which just went in and Cusco equalized 1-1. Source: Cusco FC Facebook page
The second half started badly for Cusco FC, as young Carlos Orbe received two yellow cards within four minutes and was sent off (49'). Down to ten, Cusco FC went into a fully defensive mood, but the situation changed once again when Cienciano's Koichi Aparicio also received a second yellow card and was sent off (60'), so the numerical equality in the field was restored.
The last 30 minutes of the game belonged almost entirely to Cusco FC, which had at least five clear chances to score, on one on one with goalkeeper Ferreyra, but Mauricio Montes (once), José Daniel Rivera (three times) and José Junhior Velásquez (once) missed incredibly. All this bad luck seemed to come to an end in the first minute of extra time, when Matías Abisab finally found the right shot from inside the box, after a cross from the left side, and a ball reverted to him by Manuel Corrales: 2-1 (90'+1').
Matías Abisab scored for Cusco FC, which took the lead by 2-1. Source: Cusco FC Facebook page.
While there were lots of celebrations for Cusco FC, the match was not over, unhappily for them. In the last minute of extra time, a free kick from the left side was taken by Kevin Sandoval, whose cross went right to one of his teammates, whose header was initially saved by Pretel, but then Adrián Ugarriza scored from short range: 2-2 (90'+3').
Cusco FC: Pretel - Orbe, Gonzales, Rizzo, Corrales - Aubert, Abisab - Cedrón (Tello 79'), Ramúa (Velásquez 54'), Rivera - Montes. Manager: Marcelo Grioni.
Cienciano: Ferreyra - A. Perleche (Lojas 35'), Aparicio, Riojas, E. Perleche - Ayarza (Ugarriza 75'), Álvarez, Guivin - Romagnoli (Carpio 82'), Carando, Sandoval. Manager: Gerardo Ameli.
Referee: Michael Espinoza.
Yellow cards: Rizzo 17', Orbe 46', 49', Corrales 79', Montes 90'+2', Tello 90'+4' - Lojas 37', Aparicio 51', 60'.
Red cards: Orbe 49' - Aparicio 60' (both for the second yellow card).
The situation is difficult for Cusco FC. They desperately need to win matches, draws are no longer enough. Grioni has little time, the team is very weak. Pretel is the fourth goalkeeper used this season, there is no right back in the team, all the players which were forcibly tried to play there failed (Orbe is just the last example), the centre backs are insecure, and so on. Diego Minaya, who came as the best centre back in the 2020 Peruvian First League, has not played a single minute so far because of injuries. Usual left back Céspedes is also injured. The entire defense is a fiasco, almost every game. The centre forward is also a problem. Royón was brought in midyear as a great striker, but his style of play does not fit the rest of the team and he is no longer used. The offensive midfielders and the wingers are trying to cover for such a lack of a striker, but it is not always enough, although Rivera, Cedrón, Carranza or Rengifo had some good games. Unfortunately Ramúa is no longer the leader that he once was and his efficiency is lower than expected. Abisab is certainly replacing him, up to a point. Finally, the team must use young players for a certain amount of time, but the young players have not given any satisfaction so far.
Their next match will be against Ayacucho FC in mid-September, after a break caused by the matches of the national team. Cienciano's next match would be against FBC Melgar, in the so-called derby of the South. It was interesting to see many former Cusco FC (or Real Garcilaso) footballers playing for Cienciano: Ferreyra, Lojas, and Cusco FC's historic goalscorer, Danilo Carando.
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