For the national title: How will Sporting Cristal and Melgar reach the semifinals of League 1?

Before this Sunday, endless hypothetical scenarios were considered for the definition of the Clausura, but only one of them could happen. And it was the one that consecrated Alianza Lima as champion of said tournament and direct finalist of League 1 2022, a fact that forces Melgar Y Sporting Crystal to play the semifinals.

Even before this last date was played, the blue and white team had made clear their favoritism for winning the second championship of the year and having privileged access to play in the national final without having to play another game beforehand. Having surpassed Melgar in the accumulated helped a lot to achieve that double objective.

Per se, Lima Alliance he depended on himself and he did not disappoint. With the victory over ADT in Matute (2-0), the team led by ‘Chicho’ Salas managed to accomplish the feat and caused Melgar and Sporting Cristal to face each other in the playoffs to define the second finalist.

The Rimense club, which this Sunday complied with beating Carlos Mannucci (4-0), did not reach the three points achieved to overcome Lima Alliance In the table. Now he must prepare for a tough two-way tie with none other than Melgar, the Apertura champion who closed the Clausura with a loss to Alianza Atlético (0-1). This is a small analysis of both semifinalists.

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CRYSTAL SPORTS

It is nothing new that Sporting Crystal be the protagonist again in the fight for the national title. As usual, the Rimense team has consecrated itself again leader of the accumulated table with 79 points and with it he secured his place in the playoffs. Without a doubt, regularity is one of the greatest virtues of this club. If it depended on the accumulated, the ‘brewers’ would have more trophies in their showcase. But that’s not how it works.

Similarly, Roberto Mosquera’s team takes refuge in several fortresses ahead of the semifinals. Although he still needs to correct some specific things, it is necessary to highlight, for example, that Cristal is the least shaken of the season. Few can boast of having beaten him.

In fact, the Rimenses have only suffered three defeats in 36 games played in Liga 1 2022. They fell to Sport Huancayo and César Vallejo in the Apertura, and to Atlético Grau in the Clausura. Awesome. They rarely lose and they take refuge in it.

Also, Sporting Crystal is the best visitor of the local tournament. Away from home, they have added 38 valuable points, the product of 11 wins, five draws and only two losses. In addition, he has celebrated 29 goals and conceded 14, thus registering a quite positive goal difference (+15)

Of course, as a local, the sky blue team has had some problems that cannot be ignored. Despite only losing one game at the Alberto Gallardo in 2022, Mosquera’s team becomes relatively fragile playing at home and this, in one way or another, has taken its toll.

In fact, their balance is positive at home: 12 wins, five draws and one loss. But in the process he naively lost vital points. Points that could even secure the title of the Closure at the time. For example, the defeat suffered at home against Atlético Grau (2-1) meant the end of his undefeated streak and caused Alianza Lima to beat him.

However, Sporting Crystal stands out for having the best attack in the championship. Although they do not have a pure goalscorer, the Celestes manage to shine on offense, having celebrated more goals than any other club this year: 74 goals in 36 games, an average of two goals per game.

At a defensive level, he does not have the same fate. With very little you can do damage to the Rimense defense. And this was experienced mainly in the games against Sport Boys and Atlético Grau, conceding five goals between them, which could even have been more. In fact, throughout the year Cristal suffered 37 goals in 36 games, which -on average- means that they concede at least one goal per game. Mosquera will have to find a quick fix on this before the semifinals.

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MELGAR

While, Melgar does not lag behind. He was the true champion of the Apertura, deservedly, and starred in the best international campaign in its history, reaching the semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana. Now, after not winning the Clausura or achieving the long-awaited direct final, the ‘Domino’ will seek to prevail against a rival who, as has already been explained, is extremely complicated.

With 74 points in their favor, the Arequipa team managed to position themselves in third place in the accumulated table, confirming that they are one of the best teams in 2022. In fact, if Lima Alliance would not have received two points from his reserve (champion), Melgar He would be in second place if he had beaten Sullana this Sunday and thus would have secured a direct final. But it has not been the case.

Now, speaking about strengths, it is necessary to point out that the ‘Domino’ is the best team in the tournament playing at home. He made the Monumental Stadium of the UNSA a real fort, where his virtues prospered to the fullest.

So managed to add a total of 48 points at home, winning 16 of the 18 games they played and losing only two: one was against Sporting Cristal (1-0) and the other was last Sunday against Alianza Atlético (1-0).

As a visitor, your balance is average. Far from Arequipa, Melgar He has won seven games, tied five and lost six. As mentioned before, he has already managed to rescue a point in the Rimense field (2-2) and that is why he will try to remain intact in that same scenario in the semifinals.

It is also important to mention that Melgar is in the Top 5 of the teams with the most goals scored in the tournament (54) and, in addition, it is the second team that has conceded the fewest goals (29), so it has found a certain balance in both aspects , although there is no denying that some defensive mistakes have cost him dearly in key duels.

In addition, the ‘Dominoes’ is no longer the same as the one from the first part of the season. The consistency and vigor that the Arequipa team acquired from the hand of Néstor Lorenzo has been losing over time and Pablo Lavallén has not been able to do anything.

In fact, Melgar it deflated a lot in the Closure. He lost important points in pending matches that could easily have placed him at the top of the Clausura and thus secured the national title. Without a doubt, his level has dropped considerably. Having closed the regular season with a loss is a clear sign of that.