A light bulb went off in Lima! Emelec beat Sporting Cristal 1-0 in the playoffs to reach the Round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana | Football | game

Emelec beat Peruvian Sporting Cristal 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana-2023 Round of 16 playoffs in Lima this Wednesday.

After finishing second in Group B of the South American Cup, Jose Fernando Cevallos scored the winning goal for the Electric side 52 minutes into the game at the national stadium.

The second leg will be played next Wednesday in Guayaquil. The winner will face Argentina’s Defensa y Justicia in the Round of 16.

without any damage

Cristal started the game with a good combination to beat Ecuador at home in the national stadium with over 30,000 Remen’s fans in attendance.

With good triangles, Peru’s players found goalkeeper Pedro Ortiz’s goal with ease.

Just after 10 o’clock, the Electricians, sporting alternate shirts, rose to form quick counter-attacks. But Crystal continued to press solidly, led by midfielder and captain Yoshimar Yoden, in a good position in the center of the field.

The Peruvian side needed a good result to secure a relaxed return match in Guayaquil next week.

At 39, Jose Cevallos took a right-footed shot from long range that went just wide of goalkeeper Renato Solís’ goal.

Despite dominating the game, Crystal failed to open the scoring in the first 45 runs due to excellent defensive play from the opposition team, which closed their target well.

Defended and scored

In the second half, the team led by Brazil’s Diego Nunes maintained the same game arguments as in the first half. Put heavy pressure on your opponent, but with finishing problems.

On 52, midfielder Jose Cevallos made it 1-0 to Emelek with a strong right-footed shot, a perfect pass into the center of the area by defender Fernando Leon. The goal silenced the Crystal fans for a few seconds.

After the goal against, Cristal pressed the accelerator and looked for a tie, but Emelek kept its solid defence.

At the age of 58, Brazilian Nunes moved his bench and brought in striker Washington Coroso to give his team more attacking power.

At the age of 64, Colombian coach Hernán Torres de Emelec brought on Venezuelan striker Samuel Sousa to confirm the result.

With several substitutions, Crystal looked to turn the score around, but found a solid defense led by goalkeeper Ortiz, who had several direct shots on target. (D)