Disappointing end of the season for Cusco FC

Universidad César Vallejo - Cusco FC 3-1 (1-1)

A. Ramírez 20', J. Vásquez 65' penalty, Mena 86' - Da Luz 23'. 

Saturday, 28 October 2023, 3:15 pm local time (8:15 pm UTC), Mansiche Stadium, Trujillo, Peru, 19th (last) round of Clausura, Peruvian First Division (Liga 1).

Universidad César Vallejo starting line-up. Photo source: futbolperuano.com

The match was decisive to establish the eighth place in the final aggregate table of the 2023 Peruvian First Division. Why would the eighth place be important? Well, because it is the last spot allowing the participation in the next year Copa Sudamericana, and both Universidad César Vallejo and Cusco FC claimed to be interested in it. Cusco FC could have snatched an even better place in the aggregate table, but had a miserable end of the season, and this match was not far from the worst they had. One should also point out that many important Cusco FC players were not in the squad for this game: defenders Estrada, Quina, and Gordillo, midfielders Barreto, Vidales, and Uribe, as well as their best player, winger Felipe "Felucho" Rodríguez, all missed, while Jordan Guivín was theoretically on the bench but was not introduced, and it is quite difficult to explain why, although there are rumours of their departure from the club. Nevertheless, is it possible to leave the club before the last game of the season, especially if it is a decisive game?

Manager Luis Flores had to make a team out of the remaining players, so Universidad César Vallejo, which needed to win, had an easier task than expected. This was visible from the beginning, as the home side took over the control of the game, and scored rather early. The goal came after a corner kick for Cusco FC, as Franchesco Flores launched Alejandro Ramírez from their own side, and the Cusco FC defense was so poor that Ramírez was allowed to run the entire field, to get into the box and to shoot wherever he wanted, actually quite precisely in the upper right corner of the target: 1-0 (20').

The game changed just for a few minutes, because Cusco FC equalized, rather surprisingly. James Morales and Mauro Da Luz succeeded in retrieving a ball on the left side, from Johan Madrid. Da Luz entered the box close to the goal line, and had a shot from a very tight angle, hitting the post, then the ball went in between the post and the goalkeeper: 1-1 (23').

The home side started again their domination, and missed important chances to take the lead again. Da Luz got injured, and had to be substituted, another important issue for Cusco FC, which lost their best player in less than 35 minutes. In the last minute of the first half, Jairo Vélez provided a perfect assist for Carlos Ascues, who scored from inside the box (45'). However, the goal was cancelled after the VAR proved that there was an offside position in the action which led to the goal.

Christopher Olivares (Cusco FC, in gold) and Johan Madrid (Universidad César Vallejo, in orange) fight for the control of the ball. Photo source: Diario Corréo

In the second half, things went the same way. Jairo Vélez assisted Yorleys Mena, but he missed incredibly from one meter away in front of the empty net, hitting the crossbar (47'). Then, Stéfano Olaya came into action on the right side, and in one of his runs, succeeded to dribble Abdiel Ayarza, who eventually committed a foul inside the box on Olaya, exactly what Olaya was looking for (64'). Jersson Vásquez converted the penalty: 2-1 (65').

Cusco FC tried hard to come back in the game, to equalize, but their chances were few. In fact, Universidad César Vallejo had even bigger opportunities, because they benefitted from larger spaces left in the Cusco defense. In one counterattack led by Jairo Vélez, Yorleys Mena found the correct and precise shot from the edge of the box to increase the advantage of his team: 3-1 (86').

All the efforts made by Cusco FC players until the end of the game proved futile, so Universidad César Vallejo won the game and snatched the last berth for the next year Copa Sudamericana, while Cusco FC have to carefully prepare the next season, which seems to be a difficult task, given the existing tensions.

UCV: Rabines - Madrid, Fleitas, Garcés, Vásquez - Ascues, Flores (Olaya 46') - Ramírez, Vélez, Benítez (Quinteros 72') - Mena. Manager: Roberto Mosquera.

Cusco: Ferreyra - Bilbao, Alonso, Benincasa, Yovera - Arakaki, Aucca, Morales (Ayarza 46'), Da Luz (Velásquez 35') - Olivares (Cantoro 76'), Díaz (Zarabia 56'). Manager: Luis Flores.

Referee: Kevin Ortega.

Yellow cards: Mena 86' - Benincasa 33', Morales 45'+4', Yovera 62'.

Universitario de Deportes won the Clausura and classified second in the aggregate table, so they will play the play-off finals against Alianza Lima, the Apertura winners and top of the aggregate table. Deportivo Binacional was the last to be relegated, along with Deportivo Municipal and Academia Cantolao. Comerciantes Unidos and Los Chankas promoted from the Second Division (Liga 2).

Full results, final tables and fixtures:

 

Round 19 (28-29 October 2023)

 

Deportivo Municipal – Academia Cantolao 1-2

Sport Boys – Cienciano 2-1

Universidad César Vallejo – Cusco FC 3-1

Deportivo Garcilaso – Alianza Lima 0-1

Universitario de Deportes – Sport Huancayo 2-0

Sporting Cristal – Alianza Atlético 3-0

Deportivo Binacional – FBC Melgar 1-2

Atlético Grau – Unión Comercio 0-1

ADT Tarma – Carlos A. Mannucci 0-0

UTC Cajamarca bye

 

Final Clausura table

 

1	Universitario de Deportes (W)	18	11	6	1	28-8	39	Qualified for the play-offs
2	FBC Melgar	18	11	5	2	31-13	38
3	Alianza Lima	18	10	7	1	18-6	37
4	Sporting Cristal	18	10	6	2	31-13	36
5	ADT Tarma	18	9	7	2	21-13	34
6	Sport Huancayo	18	8	5	5	22-14	29
7	Deportivo Garcilaso	18	7	6	5	24-20	27
8	Universidad César Vallejo	18	7	3	8	25-19	24
9	Cienciano	18	6	6	6	21-20	24
10	Sport Boys	18	6	5	7	15-23	23
11	Carlos A. Mannucci	18	5	5	8	16-22	20
12	UTC Cajamarca	18	3	10	5	21-23	19
13	Cusco FC	18	4	6	8	18-23	18
14	Atlético Grau	18	4	6	8	17-27	18
15	Deportivo Binacional	18	5	2	11	25-34	17
16	Unión Comercio	18	4	5	9	18-32	17
17	Academia Cantolao	18	5	2	11	12-26	17
18	Alianza Atlético	18	4	4	10	14-25	16
19	Deportivo Municipal	18	4	0	14	17-33	12

 

W – Clausura winners

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.

 

Final aggregate table (Apertura + Clausura)

 

1	Alianza Lima (AW, Q)	36	24	7	5	55-22	79	Qualified for the play-offs & CL
2	Universitario (CW, Q)	36	22	7	7	57-22	73	Qualified for the play-offs & CL
3	Sporting Cristal	36	19	14	3	64-31	71	Qualified for Copa Libertadores
4	FBC Melgar	36	17	12	7	55-35	63	Qualified for Copa Libertadores
5	Sport Huancayo	36	16	8	12	52-39	56	Qualified for C. Sudamericana
6	ADT Tarma	36	14	13	9	44-36	55	Qualified for C. Sudamericana
7	Deportivo Garcilaso	36	13	13	9	56-46	51	[1] Qualified for C. Sudamericana
8	Univ. César Vallejo	36	14	9	13	50-42	51	Qualified for C. Sudamericana
9	Cusco FC	36	14	8	14	42-45	50
10	Cienciano	36	13	9	14	44-48	48
11	Carlos A. Mannucci	36	13	8	15	33-40	47
12	Atlético Grau	36	10	11	15	48-48	41
13	UTC Cajamarca	36	8	16	12	37-45	40
14	Alianza Atlético	36	10	9	17	46-58	39
15	Sport Boys	36	11	8	17	28-49	37	[2]
16	Unión Comercio	36	9	9	18	42-72	36
17	Deportivo Binacional (R)	36	10	5	21	53-68	35	Relegated to Second Division
18	Deportivo Municipal (R)	36	11	3	22	36-54	31	[3] Relegated to Second Division
19	Academia Cantolao (R)	36	7	5	24	21-62	26	Relegated to Second Division

 

AW – Apertura winners

CW – Clausura winners

Q – Qualified for the play-offs

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)

 

Play-offs

 

Play-offs will be played to establish the champions of the 2023 Peruvian First Division. Alianza Lima and Universitario de Deportes, as winners of the two tournaments and classified first and second in the aggregate table, are qualified directly to the play-off finals.

 

Qualified team	Manner of qualification	Stage
Alianza Lima	Winners of Apertura	Finals
	First classified in the aggregate table
Universitario de Deportes	Winners of Clausura	Finals
	Second classified in the aggregate table

 

Finals

 

First leg, 4 November 2023

 

Universitario de Deportes – Alianza Lima

 

Second leg, 8 November 2023

 

Alianza Lima – Universitario de Deportes

---

[1] Deportivo Garcilaso have been deducted 1 point.

[2] Sport Boys have been deducted 4 points for financial irregularities.

[3] Deportivo Municipal have been deducted 5 points for financial irregularities.