From 'nueves': Chávez and Merlo, Sporting Cristal's central defenders, scored the 2-0 in the start of the Clausura [VIDEO].

Key appearance by central defenders Gianfranco Chávez and Omar Merlo in offense to score the goals of the 2-0 in the Sporting Cristal vs. Sport Huancayo match for the first round of the Clausura Tournament of Liga 1. The rimense defenders resolved inside the penalty area so that, in just five minutes, they take the lead at the Alejandro Villanueva stadium.

In the 8th minute of the match, Roberto Mosquera's team had a free kick on the side of the field in the colossus of La Victoria. So, in front of the ball, Martín Távara positioned himself, who launched the service into the penalty area. In that position, Gianfranco Chávez rose to hit the ball with his head and score the 1-0.

After the goal, Sporting Cristal grew and Sport Huancayo experienced moments of pressure due to the attacks on their goal. In fact, Irven Ávila and Alejandro Hohberg came together, with the latter passing to Nilson Loyola. The defender sent the ball into the penalty area and there was a miscommunication in the 'Red Matador' defense. Omar Merlo took advantage of this to score for the 2-0.

Sporting Cristal vs. Sport Huancayo: preview

The second and third-placed teams in the Apertura Tournament will face each other in the start of the second competition of the season. The 'Red Matador', who had a chance of winning the title until the last matchday, accumulated 40 points and finished one point behind the champion Melgar (41). Meanwhile, the 'Celestes' reached 38 points.

To face the Clausura, Sporting Cristal presents new additions to the squad. Diego Buonanotte and Joffre Escobar join the team as the main offensive players. At the same time, the team from Rímac confirmed the departure of Christofer Gonzales, who went to play in Saudi Arabia. Fernando Pacheco, who joined FC Emmen in the Netherlands, also did not continue with the team.

On the other hand, Sport Huancayo was left with the desire of being closer to the title. However, internally, they believe that they can repeat the performance and compete in the important positions. "We have worked well these six months with the coach and we will try to have the same campaign in the Clausura," said Marcos Lliuya.