Sporting Cristal was reunited with victory in the 2023 Liga 1 Clausura tournament against none other than César Vallejo, a rival it had not defeated since 2019. With a single goal from Washington Corozo, the Rimense club won at the Mansiche Stadium in Trujillo, regaining the lead in the standings and returning to second place overall. For this game, coach Tiago Nunes sent his best players from the start: Yoshimar Yotún, Ignácio da Silva, Brenner Marlos and Joao Grimaldo.
Of these, however, the Peruvian team’s young winger showed the most discreet performance. Although he was up to 90+3. After remaining on the field for a minute and then being replaced by Alejandro Hohberg, the 20-year-old footballer did not make a name for himself, which is why fans were worried about his poor performance in the final period of the championship.
“Grimaldo is a great player, but if he fails with his passes again, I hope they give him some advice and at the same time give him his strong coffee”, “A piece of advice for Joao Grimaldo: Don’t do it.” Be arrogant. The fact that you are a player of the national team does not mean that you have a guarantee.” “I hope that Grimaldo pulls himself together, we need him in this final phase,” were some of the comments that Grimaldo made to a trend on social media Network X (formerly made Twitter).
Grimaldo missed a game in the Clausura tournament due to his call-up to the Peruvian team. Photo: Composition LR/Sporting Cristal
YOU CAN SEE: Cumulative League 1 table: Cristal displaces Universitario and approaches Alianza Lima
The light blue youth player had already played well below his usual level in the previous game, when his club played against Universitario de Deportes. The last time “Joa’s contribution” was concretely reflected on the scoreboard was in mid-August, when he scored a goal and provided an assist in the 3-2 comeback win against Atlético Grau.
When is Joao Grimaldo’s next game against Sporting Cristal?
Sporting Cristal’s next game in the Clausura tournament is this Monday, September 25th, when they host Matchday 15 UTC at the National Stadium in Lima. The duel is scheduled to take place from 8:00 p.m.