The goal by Matías Succar disrupted the plans of Sporting Cristal and what at first seemed like a dominance that could lead to a victory, ended in a 1-2 for Carlos A. Mannucci. Under that context, the 'celestes' pressed the accelerator and, with the entry of Brenner Marlos, found the path to the 2-2 that gave them hope for a comeback.
The play started with controversy, as before the Brazilian forward scored the equalizer (72'), referee Michael Espinoza called a questionable penalty. Although the referee relied on his VAR colleagues, it was not very clear what he called: whether the slight pull that Brenner himself suffered or the push from Federico González on Ignácio da Silva.
Despite the furious protests from Mannucci's players and the anger of their coaching staff on the bench, the Sporting Cristal forward converted his penalty into a goal and leveled the score. This goal not only served for the 'cerveceros' to dream of victory, but also to reach ten goals in the Liga 1 Betsson - in addition to the two he scored in the Copa Libertadores.
Sporting Cristal vs. Mannucci: what lies ahead
After this match for matchday 4 of the Clausura 2023 Tournament, Sporting Cristal will play again next week when they visit Emelec for the second leg of the playoffs to qualify for the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. This match is scheduled for Wednesday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. and will be played at the George Capwell stadium, located in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil.
After losing 0-1 in the first leg, Tiago Nunes' team must win by more than one goal if they want to turn the tide and continue in the 'Suda'. If they manage to equalize the tie, everything will be decided from the penalty shootout automatically, without going through extra time. The situation is not easy, but the 'celeste' team is optimistic.
Carlos A. Mannucci, on the other hand, will also play again next week when they host Sport Boys for matchday 5 of the Clausura 2023 in the Liga 1 Betsson. This match is scheduled for Sunday, July 23 at 3:00 p.m. and will be played at the Mansiche stadium, located in the city of Trujillo. When these teams faced each other in the Apertura, the 'Tricolor' team won 0-1 with a goal by Raziel García.
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