Comerciantes Unidos - Cusco FC 1-2 (0-1)
Sandoval 66' - Callejo 45'+1' penalty, 90'+3'.
Saturday, 24 May 2025, 1 pm local time (6 pm UTC), Germán Contreras Jara Stadium, Cajabamba, Peru, 14th round of Apertura, Peruvian First Division (Liga 1).
Comerciantes Unidos (in yellow), Cusco FC (in black) and the referees before the start of the game, united against violence. Foto source: Comerciantes Unidos Facebook page
Cusco FC also won a year ago, 1-0, against Comerciantes Unidos, but the circumstances have been different this Saturday, with Cusco FC still involved in the fight for the Apertura and Comerciantes Unidos fighting at the other end of the table, to escape relegation. The tension was very visible in the game, and surfaced many times, especially towards the end of the game, also due to some edgy refereeing decisions.
Matías Sen (Comerciantes Unidos) and Marco Saravia (Cusco FC) expecting the ball for an aerial dispute. Foto source: Comerciantes Unidos Facebook page
Cusco FC clearly dominated the first half, but the home side defended well, and despite their much better ball possession, the visitors had few opportunities. Bigger chances emerged towards the end of the first half. An excellent action on the left side by Iván Colman ended with a decisive pass in the box to Carlo Diez, who was tackled by Francisco Duclós before taking a shot wide (42'). The referee initially considered that there was no foul, but changed his mind after being called by the VAR and seeing the replays. A penalty was awarded for Cusco FC and Facundo Callejo converted: 0-1 (45'+1').
Foto source: Comerciantes Unidos Facebook page
In the second half, Comerciantes Unidos took over the control of the game, in search for an equalizer. They attacked more consistently, and after a shot by Paredes which went slightly above the crossbar (61'), they succeeded to score. Héctor Campos, who just came in, crossed from the right and Ray Sandoval made the right move near the far post, being faster than the defender and sending the ball surprisingly towards the opposite side of the goal, to the surprise of the goalkeeper, who was caught on contrepied: 1-1 (66').
Ray Sandoval (facing the camera) scored the only goal for Comerciantes Unidos. Foto source: Comerciantes Unidos Facebook page
The final minutes were rather balanced. Comcerciantes Unidos wanted to continue their offensive, and still had some chances, but Cusco FC slowly regained control of the midfield and moved the pressure from their half of the field into the other half. A second striker, Tévez, was introduced along Callejo, to improve the attack.
As a result, Cusco FC scored the winner in stoppage time. Álvaro Ampuero crossed from the right to the far post, and Facundo Callejo was there to score from short range: 1-2 (90'+3').
However, this was not it. Just after the match resumed, former Cusco FC player Alexander Lecaros created an action on the right, entered the box and lost the ball to Álvaro Ampuero, who made a bold move to win the position in front of Lecaros (90'+5'). The referee awarded a penalty for Comerciantes Unidos, but was later convinced by the images showed by the VAR that there was no penalty and cancelled the initial decision. The match finished after more than 11 minutes of stoppage time.
Comerciantes Unidos: Villete - Paredes (Parodi 75'), Sosa, Tecilla, Duclós (Lecaros 66'), Alfaro - Marina (Vega 75'), Paico (Campos 66'), Sandoval - S. Gonzales (L. García 52'), Sen. Manager: Javier Arce.
Cusco FC: Díaz - Ruidías (Zevallos 73'), Fuentes, Saravia, Ampuero - Diez, Valenzuela - Colitto, Colman (Aquino 58'), Da Silva (Tévez 85') - Callejo. Manager: Miguel Rondelli.
Referee: Edwin Ordóñez.
Yellow cards: Marina 72, Sen 88' - Ruidías 63', Valenzuela 77', Saravia 84', Callejo 90'+3', Tévez 90'+11'.
Cusco FC had several excellent results, winning against champions Universitario de Deportes 2-0 at home and against local rivals Deportivo Garcilaso 3-1 away (practically on their home ground, because they share the same stadium), but had a disappointing 3-3 draw at home a week before at home against Los Chankas, which have certainly diminished their chances of getting to the top of the table. Now they are only three points away from the top team (Universitario de Deportes), but they are only sixth in the table, with as many as eight teams within four points, fighting to win the Apertura!
At the other end of the table, Comerciantes Unidos are second to last, as they only collected 8 points and a single win in 12 matches so far in 2025.
The next match for Cusco FC will be the heavily disputed local derby against their main city rivals, Cienciano, technically at home, but only on 14 June, after a large break caused by the matches of the national team. The next match for Comerciantes Unidos will be away at Alianza Atlético de Sullana, one of the surprising candidates for the Apertura.
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