The best closing – for neutral fans, of course – in an embarrassing year for the League 1 with problems between some clubs and the highest governing body (FPF) over TV rights. But, beyond that, the two best teams of the season will meet on the field.

They are the best and the statistics – published by @SonDartosNoOpiniones– that’s how they support them. . The two are the ones who conceded the fewest goals against (22) and the ones who never suffered a comeback.

“It is a dream to play in a final, especially with the U, but the most important thing is to win them”he pointed Piero Quispemerengue figure awarded as the best in the contest. “Now we do depend on ourselves and we are going to do our part”he claimed Hernan Barcosscorer for the blue and white team.

The names are given: Peru will be divided on November 4 and 8, days of the finals. A key that promises to be even, but to which each club arrived in a different way. Therefore, below we detail what the finalists had to go through, between joys and stumbles, to reach the final stage.

The locality as an unbreakable fortress

Universitario as a local in the Clausura is as incredible as Alianza in the Apertura. With the characteristic 3-5-2 imposed by the experienced Jorge Fossati, the creams have made the Monumental a true unbreakable fortress: the team that steps on the grass of the Ate colossus is already at a disadvantage.

Nine games, eight wins and just one draw. Eighteen goals for, only one against. Eight undefeated fences. “With the defense we committed to leaving our lives”said Williams Riveros, one of the banners of the U.

allianceFor its part, in the Clausura it had an irregular performance: 19 points out of 27. It did not lose, but it let go of key points and before direct rivals: goalless draws against Cristal, Universitario and Melgar, three teams that fought the tournament until this last date. And last day they couldn’t beat ADT and tied again zero to zero. The last two ties were with Mauricio Larriera as Guillermo Salas’s successor coach.

When visiting you have to be strong

The panorama changes when we move on to the other item: away games. There, Universitario was left in debt. He didn’t suffer like in the Apertura, but He barely got 14 of 27 points. It has been difficult for the creams to leave home, to play without feeling like locals like when they play at the Monumental.

, winning in complicated places like Cusco, where they defeated Deportivo Garcilaso on this last day. Furthermore, with coach Larriera they improved a lot in that item.

Since the Uruguayan arrived, the intimates played six games away from Matute, drawing the first two and winning the last four. That is to say, they are coming off an important streak playing away from home. They know how to play the secondary role, from which the local proposal waits and counterattacks.

Reinforcements that add, others that subtract

Universitario signed twelve players to reinforce its squad, among them is Edison Flores which arrived in the middle of the year. Of all, the Paraguayan Williams Riveros, the Argentines Matías de Benedetto and Martín Pérez Guedesand the Colombian Rodrigo Urena They have been part of the backbone. Furthermore, the ‘Orejas’ found their best physical form in recent times and even scored the first goal against Huancayo.

The balance improves if we take into account that the substitutes’ bench includes Marco Saravia and Horacio Calcaterra, two players who when they came in did very well. ‘Calca’, for example, scored 2-0 against the Huancaínos. Of course, they also had some lime ones: Yuriel Celi and Emanuel Herrera They are in debt. Not to mention Roberto Siucho who returned from China but never had a single minute in the year.

On the other hand, in Alianza, the ten signings did not work out. At least not in this second part of the year. Starting with injuries: Andres Andrade He suffered a torn cruciate ligament and has not played since July. Santiago Garcia He was one of those who added the most minutes in the Apertura, but in the Clausura he suffered from different physical ailments: he has not played since August. The same thing happened with Pablo Sabbagwho finished recovering from a complicated ankle injury this Sunday, after two months.

The case Christian Cueva is incredible. This week, El Comercio learned that the midfielder has been playing with the posterior ligament in his right knee torn since March of this year. He decided not to have surgery after consulting with various doctors and the consequences of playing injured are obvious: one assist in 22 games.

Good news for Alianza is that facing the finals it has recovered Sabbag, Carlos Zambrano (he came from an injury after the match against Chile with the Peruvian team in the Qualifiers), Garcia and Zanelatto. The latter is one of the signings that did perform, even due to his great moment, he was called up by Juan Reynoso and made his debut in the Bicolor against Argentina.

Goals galore

In Alianza Lima the goals are assured with Hernan Barcos. The inexhaustible 39-year-old forward is the team’s top scorer with 17 goals, nine of them in the Clausura. He started the year as Pablo Sabbag’s substitute, but given the Colombian’s constant injuries he won the starting job and with his great performances – to which he has accustomed us – he emerges as the standard bearer of the attack. The ‘Pirate’ not only scores goals, he also assists and makes his teammates play.

In the other side, Alex Valera He is the ‘U’ top scorer with 14 goals, although only five were in the Clausura. The Peruvian ‘9’ has been a substitute for Jorge Fossati, who has preferred to use the Flores-Urruti duo in the attack front.

But the ‘U’ also has goals in Flores and Quispe himself. Piero has shown great maturity with the Uruguayan coach on the bench and is a fundamental piece in the cream approach.