With Campos as a figure and an inoperative Andrade: the UnoxUno of the defeat of an unrecognizable Alliance in the Cup

The Chicho Salas team is surprising. Especially because of what he showed in his first two games, drawing against Paranaense and beating Libertad in Paraguay. And because in front was a Mineiro who, although it is true he is Brazilian, had lost their two previous matches, arrived with several considerable casualties -even the coach, Chacho Coudet, was expelled and his assistant Ariel Broggi directed- and the pressure of adding his first three points that resulted in the horrifying definitions of his attackers.

The zero to zero up to that moment was also supported by Angelo Campos, the figure of Alianza without a doubt. It was ‘Richard Tex-Tex’, the goalkeeper from the cartoon ‘Supercampeones’, the nickname he was given back in 2013 for a miraculous save in a South American U20. This Wednesday night, in Belo Horizonte, he had not one, but several, even being injured throughout the second half. He had no responsibility for the goals.

The problem with intimates is that they did not compete. They never met in the field. He only dedicated himself to receiving the blows and praying -if there was time in the midst of so much attack- that the goals did not fall. Without proposing, without attacking, without reaching the opposite goal, it is impossible to think of winning a game.

The duo of centrals worked until a certain moment. Zambrano was a hero when he drowned out a goal cry from Chilean Eduardo Vargas on the line of goal with his shoulder. But he was villainous when he gave away the second goal by risking playing out. The ‘Kaiser’, the hierarchy in the blue and white background, made a childish mistake at the start at minute 68 for Igor Silveira to score 2-0. Nine minutes earlier, the same player had scored 1-0 to free the ‘Galo’ from the curse that fell on his attackers. Before that, he was one of the best on the field, but football is like that.

santiago garcia he entered the starting team at the last minute after overcoming a muscle injury. But the time away from the fields took its toll on him. He fumbled nine times and only fouled once because, of course, it’s impossible to even try to take down your opponent if you can’t catch him. Worse still if he was on his side Ricardo Lagos, the left back who was once again nervous on an international date. He couldn’t beat Cristian Pavón and his mistake produced the penalty that ended up being saved by Campos. In the other side, Gino Peruzzi He did what he could, although all of Mineiro’s offensive weight shifted to Alianza’s weakest side: the left.

A lost midfield

Guillermo Salas sent his known midfield: Josepmir Ballon and Jesus Castillo forming a duo of biting flyers, and andre andrade as a kind of connection between defense and attack. The problem is that, except for Castillo, neither Ballón nor Andrade weighed in on their responsibilities.

josephmir, with the captain’s ribbon on his arm, did not command absolute respect. Always running after the ball without the ability to intercept. And when the ball came to him, his passes were almost always to the sides or behind. JesusFor its part, it is still an all-rounder. He played well so he didn’t cut the game down much, but he fought all the balls in the middle.

Disconnected from his teammates, imprecise in the passes. From two of his errors with the ball came two counterattacks that could have been expensive. And it was he who committed the penalty -silly and childish- at the end of the first half. He was replaced by Christian Cueva, although that was only after 70 minutes, with a 2-0 down. Perhaps his good performance in Paraguay made Salas decide to wait for him a bit, although his presence on the field was totally unjustified.

Reyna, the only one who is saved in attack

Bryan Reina It was not the best of the game, obviously. Nor is it that it has generated danger in the rival goal. Well, Alliance in general did not. Mineiro’s goalkeeper, Everson, had no job other than to serve from his area or give a short pass to his teammate. Later, the intimate finished off only once on goal in the almost one hundred minutes that were played. But Reyna was, within all the bad, the only one who tried. Based on speed, he tried to go forward, as if contradicting the attitude of all his teammates who did not go beyond midfield.

In the other side, aldair rodriguez He continued in the starting XI for his goal against Libertad in Paraguay and because he has an important journey to help Gino Peruzzi, the right side. But he failed to meet any goal. He did not transcend neither in defense nor in attack. He could not impose his strength in any sector of the field.

Pablo Sabbag He played, like his compatriot Andrade, one of his worst games dressed in blue and white -blue and gold in this case-. Also excused for the loneliness in attack to which he was exposed. But he had two incomprehensible actions that could exemplify his terrifying night in Belo Horizonte: a shot from midfield that went to the clouds and another from three quarters when he wasn’t even well positioned to execute a shot that was at least decent.

The changes didn’t work out either and, with Monday’s paper, it seems they took a long time. Christian Cueva entered for Andrade and Zanelatto did the same for Rodríguez. None could transcend in the time they were on the field: due to the adverse context and the attitude implanted in each alliance player.

Going down 2-0, having a couple of free kicks near the area and not sending the central defenders (Zambrano at meter 85 and García at meter 92) is synonymous with not wanting to even try to tie it. Of feeling incredibly comfortable with the result even though you are being defeated. It was the reflection of an Alianza from years ago that did not have a single reaction to adversity, of that Alianza that had the weight of the losing streak on top of it and saw itself abysmally outclassed by its rival.