:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/LFSD26FIBBEL3L75UHIZTDSLCQ.jpg)
The sensations are the same every year: a team that lost its stature in the face of international demands and the regret of always missing those who are not there. How to qualify the performance of Alianza Lima in the Copa Libertadores 2023? Perhaps it is a failure due to the signings that he made thinking precisely of a good role in the tournament or is it a step forward after several years of shame, reaching up to 30 games without winning, which in 2023 he was able to cut.
It’s the same feeling after the final whistle of the defeat against Paranaense in Brazil. It was 3-0 in a game without surprises for the Brazilians, who with the weight of their figures achieved the victory that classified them as group leader and left Alianza with nothing, not even the consolation of the Copa Sudamericana.
Little of Alianza Lima, yes. And it is difficult for those close to him, and it is more difficult for him if he only has three of the eight heavyweight reinforcements that he made for the Copa Libertadores in his starting lineup. Without Andrés Andrade, Gabriel Costa and Carlos Zambrano due to injury, with Pablo Sabbag and Christian Cueva as substitutes and only with Santiago García and the Peruvians Bryan Reyna and Jesús Castillo in the eleven, the intimate team does not have many weapons with which to try something.
Because Míguez’s heart is not enough to reach the speed of Victor Roque. The affection of Hernán Barcos is not enough before the solvency of Pedro Henrique and the talent of Bryan Reyna does not exceed that of the Brazilian defense, despite the effort of the intimate.
The tournament
More than the party, the campaign is evaluated. Bad luck due to injuries or bad planning, but Alianza could barely enjoy their tails in this Cup. Perhaps only in the victory against Libertad in Asunción and in the loss against Mineiro in Brazil did they have a large part of them in shape and on the field . Then, he had to solve key positions with players who had been there since last year, such as Pablo Míguez, Yordi Vílchez, Aldair Rodríguez and Hernán Barcos himself.
| Player | PJ – minutes | total minutes |
|---|---|---|
| c. cave | 5 Alliance 0-0 Paranaense – 75′ Mineiro 2-0 Alianza – 18′ Alliance 1-2 Freedom – 32′ Alliance 0-1 Mineiro – 90′ Paranaense 3-0 Alliance – 33′ | 248 |
| C. Zambrano | 5 Paranaense 0-0 Alliance – 90 Freedom 1-2 Alliance – 90′ Mineiro 2-0 Alianza – 90′ Alliance 1-2 Freedom – 90′ Alliance 0-1 Mineiro – 90′ | 450 |
| A.Andrade | 3 Alliance 0-0 Paranaense – 15′ Freedom 1-2 Alliance – 90′ Mineiro 2-0 Alianza – 82′ | 177 |
| P. Sabbag | 6 Alliance 0-0 Paranaense – 82′ Freedom 1-2 Alliance – 90′ Mineiro 2-0 Alianza – 90′ Alliance 1-2 Freedom – 66′ Alliance 0-1 Mineiro – 10′ Paranaense 3-0 Alliance 15′ | 353 |
| G. Coast | 2 Alliance 0-0 Paranaense – 75′ Alliance 1-2 Freedom – 32′ | 107 |
| S.Garcia | 5 Alliance 0-0 Paranaense – 90′ Freedom 1-2 Alliance – 90′ Mineiro 2-0 Alianza – 90′ Alliance 0-1 Mineiro – 90′ Paranaense 3-0 Alliance – 90′ | 450 |
| b.reyna | 6 Alliance 0-0 Paranaense – 90′ Freedom 1-2 Alliance – 74′ Mineiro 2-0 Alianza – 90′ Alliance 1-2 Freedom – 90′ Alliance 0-1 Mineiro – 90′ Paranaense 3-0 Alianza – 67′ | 501 |
| J. Castillo | 6 Alliance 0-0 Paranaense – 82′ Freedom 1-2 Alliance – 80′ Mineiro 2-0 Alianza – 90′ Alliance 1-2 Freedom – 90′ Alliance 0-1 Mineiro – 90′ Paranaense 3-0 Alliance – 90′ | 522 |
And we return to the initial question. Failure or a step forward? If we consider that they were last in the group again and that they couldn’t even reach the Copa Sudamericana play-offs, Alianza Lima has definitely been a bad tournament. He did not meet the minimum required to continue in international tournaments.
But of course, this 2023 is the year in which Alianza Lima ended the streak of 30 games without victories, after the 2-1 against Libertad in Asunción, but that was the maximum point of the intimate ones only on the second date. Then the performance went down, when it was required to raise it or at least maintain it to fight until the end.
The numbers
Alianza Lima says goodbye to this Copa Libertadores 2023 with four points, the same ones that they added in the four previous editions, one in each. That is to say, this Alianza improved in that sense of results and even improved its goal difference despite being thrashed against Paranaense. They finished with a -6 difference after scoring three goals and conceding nine, when only last year they finished with -12.
Will the numbers be capable of defending Alianza Lima’s season? Without reaching the South American, he knows little about the investment made, since in the final photo the image has not changed compared to recent years: coleros and out of any tournament.
Three million dollars and 300,000 soles from the victory against Libertad were the profits. He opted for 500 thousand dollars more to reach the South American, but sportingly they were far from it.
Alianza Lima will return to League 1 and the goal of the three-time championship today becomes more necessary. They have already won the Apertura and are candidates for the Clausura. But the feeling today is not the best. Staying empty-handed at the international level will always be a failure before the commitment shown in La Victoria.
—
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.
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/R3SCFKKATBDIVF7W6HD4SZMEAU.jpg)
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/HFBLKGWGLZGBPGNSQ7B7PPX4KU.jpg)
