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The Monumental Stadium of UNSA celebrated Melgar's victory over Alianza Lima (1-0) in the first leg, as the result brings the club closer to the Liga 1 title. Pablo Lavallén, coach of the 'Rojinegros', analyzed the match and assured that his strategy in Matute will depend on what the opponent risks.
"I don't think we had an excess of patience, but rather wear and tear due to the number of minutes played: this was number 53 and I don't know how many Alianza Lima has, I think it's 42. In addition, we come from playing some semifinals, with two very demanding duels," started the Argentine coach in a press conference.
"We knew that physically, beyond being accustomed to the altitude and the heat, we were going to be affected. In the second half, maybe they (Alianza) felt that or they were more comfortable defending," added the strategist.
Similarly, Lavallén appreciated the result, even if it was minimal: "We would have loved to expand the score more, but it was a good performance. Finals, usually, tend to be very tight, close, and they are won by small details or some minimal mistake. We did what we had to do and hopefully we can validate it on Saturday," he said.
In that sense, the Melgar coach also emphasized that his planning for the second leg clash could change along the way, depending on the opponent. "If Alianza Lima proposes a match like the one we did, with our center-backs crossing the midfield, surely we will worry. If they don't do that, it will surely be a different type of match," he stated.
"I don't remember seeing Alianza playing this kind of offensive game in this type of tie. We are winning and it will depend on how much they want to risk, because if they leave spaces, it's something that benefits us, since we have Cuesta, Iberico, Bordacahar, Pérez Guedes. We will do the same as against Sporting Cristal, with that personality, with that desire to win in Lima," concluded Pablo Lavallén.