In a thrilling match, Cienciano achieved a great 1-0 victory over Sporting Cristal, a result with which the people from Cusco have closed the season as the best locals and taken away the chances of the celestials to become champions of the 2023 Clausura Tournament.
For the 'Papá', this match was of vital importance since they are one of the four teams (along with Garcilaso, Cusco FC, and César Vallejo) that maintain mathematical chances of obtaining one of the two remaining spots for the next edition of the Copa Sudamericana, according to their position in the accumulated table.
Why was it important for Cienciano to beat Sporting Cristal?
With this score, the team led by Óscar Ibáñez is in tenth place in the annual ranking with 48 points, two points away from the last spot that grants passage to the continental tournament.
If we add to this that Garcilaso (7th with 51) defeated Unión Comercio 2-1, Cusco FC (8th with 50) drew against Universitario, and César Vallejo (9th with 48) drew against UTC, the difference in points with the club in eighth place is three. Therefore, the victory was important because if it didn't happen, they would be out of any chance of playing in the next Sudamericana.
Cienciano gave a helping hand to Alianza Lima, Universitario, and Melgar
The last-minute goal by Danilo Carando was decisive in the definition of the second tournament of the year because it helped Universitario, Alianza Lima, and Melgar in their interests of winning the title in the next matchday, leaving the bajopontinos with almost no options.