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The Argentine team arrived at Nacional for a victory and spent an uncomfortable night on its 122nd birthday, which was close to ending in defeat, if Franco Armani did not dress as a hero after a villainous mistake. Sporting Cristal resisted, competed bravely and knew how to become a ‘pooper’ for the River Plate, protagonists of a dominant first half, goalless thanks to the work and grace of a great Renato Solís.
The second half was more even and those led by Tiago Nunes found the advantage thanks to Yoshimar Yotún, who took advantage of a bad clearance from Armani and put the brewers ahead. But the difference escaped due to the insistence of River, who did not take advantage of a penalty in favor and found the tie at the end, after a second shot off Esequiel Barco’s crossbar.
The last one was for Cristal with River playing the attack completely and the victory was at the feet of Joao Grimaldo; However, Armani redeemed himself after his mistake in the celestial goal and deflected the ball just enough to move the right post.
Group D continues with Fluminense (9 points) in front despite their loss to The Strongest, second with six. Then Sporting Cristal and River Plate appear with four units, separated only by goal difference: -3 for the Peruvians, and -4 for the Argentines. The four clubs can qualify for the round of 16 or be eliminated. Everything will be defined in the last two days, in which the Bajo Pontinos must first visit Bolivia and then Brazil.
He had the responsibility of guiding Sporting Cristal and had a leading role in the match, putting the team on his shoulder. He started on the right, moved to the middle and finished on the left. From the beginning, he controlled the time and direction of the rimense attacks, in addition to having a sacrificed work on the mark. At 62 ‘, after the rejection of an Armani rushed by Grimaldo, he had the patience to control his chest, settle and shoot left-footed, as in his best moment.
He had a great night and shone safely under the three sticks throughout the match. He had five saves and the most celebrated at Nacional was at 76′, when he guessed Miguel Ángel Borja’s intentions and avoided River’s equalizer via penalty, after a foul by Rafael Lutiger on Nacho Fernández in the area, which led to his expulsion of the national defender. The Colombian could not celebrate with his classic ‘hummingbird’ and the sky-blue goalkeeper spoke with his skill, not before or after, true to his style.
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Ignacio Da Silva: He registered another outstanding performance with a Sporting Cristal shirt and established himself as the pillar of the sky-blue defense. He was the most solid behind and made a couple of notable closures to prevent Beltrán and Borja from defining in the area.
Gianfranco Chavez: sober but not as sure and anticipatory as in other days. He suffered with the arrivals of River Plate through the center.
Raphael Lutiger: He did well as a left back until his expulsion for a double yellow card. He was applied in the brand and also succeeded in personal duels, but it cost him offensively.
Jhilmar Lora: attentive and supportive of the team but still indebted in terms of defensive solidity. He lacked clarity when attacking on the right wing.
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Castillo and Pretell to put out the fires, Alarcón to start them. The former took pains to try to avoid threats in the middle, a difficult task due to River’s individual functioning and hierarchy. Both suffered when trying to stop the “Millionaire’s” attacks and had complications to set up the game. Alarcón was one of those who proposed the most but did not find clarity. With the entry of Távara through Pretell, distribution grew and Adrián Ascues added a brand at the end.
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Source: Elcomercio
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a keen interest in sports and have written for many different publications. I am currently working as an author at 24 News Recorder. I cover mostly sports news but also write about other topics such as current affairs and politics. I have a strong interest in social media and how it can be used to engage with audiences.
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