He Sporting Crystal vs hurricane It will decide if another Peruvian team plays in the group stage of the 2023 Copa Libertadores. The Celestes were coming back from a 2-0 loss to Paraguay’s Nacional and it would be the second two-legged game they would overcome in the league tournament. That doesn’t happen very often, and the last time it happened was at the 2019 Copa Libertadores when it happened Melgar He also passed two rounds before being placed in Group F of the tournament.
Melgar started being the protagonist of today’s Liga 1 from 2014, but he was in debt regarding his participation in the Copa Libertadores. However, what he achieved in 2019 was a huge leap from his previous records, and it boded well for what was about to happen at the 2022 Copa Sudamericana. Here we take a quick look at that “Domino” campaign.
Phase 2: Melgar vs. University of Chile
Melgar won the 2018 Clausura and was second overall, but finished third after losing to Alianza Lima in the semifinals. This allowed him to qualify for Phase 2 of the 2019 Copa Libertadores where he faced the ‘U’ of Chile. The rivals had in their ranks international players such as Jean Beausejour, goalkeeper Johnny Herrera and Panamanian Gabriel Torres.
The first leg was very complicated and tight and it was difficult for Melgar to open the scoring through Alexis Arias at 54′. That minimal advantage was threatened on more than one occasion, most notably when winger Matías Rodríguez missed a penalty. In the second leg, the Rojinegros kept the clean sheet with good defensive work, although they were down by ten at 78′ after Nicolás Freitas was kicked out.
Carlos Cáceda was key for Melgar to hold the key zero against the ‘U’ of Chile. Photo: Agency One
Stage 3: Melgar vs Caracas
Surviving a qualifying round was already an achievement by Peru standards in international tournaments, and now the challenge was to maintain their performance and advance to the group stage. At the top were Caracas of Venezuela, with well-known names in Peruvian football such as Colombian Jesús Arrieta and Rubert Quijada, former Alianza Lima defender. On paper, the rival was less complicated than Chile’s ‘U’.
Melgar opened the faucet again in Arequipa, but this time he mastered the process from start to finish. The game was won by goals from Ángel Romero and Hideyoshi Arakaki and the locals were getting closer and closer to third place. However, upon return, Caracas binds the key in less than 15 minutes. When it looked like another episode of ‘La Gran Perú’, the idol gave Cuesta Melgar the rating at 90′.
Hideyoshi Arakaki, Alexis Arias, Jhonny Vidales and Joel Sánchez celebrate Melgar’s second goal against Caracas. Photo: GLR archives