Melgar vs Universitario match recap: A great way to finish the season

Melgar vs Universitario match recap: A great way to finish the season

by J.P. Devetori

Universitario wins their 6th consecutive match vs Melgar in a 2-1 victory to close out 2021 and secure our Copa Libertadores 2022 spot. Coming into this match, it was a must win or draw match for the U, holding the Peru 3 seed for the 2022 Libertadores which qualifies for the 2nd Stage. A loss would’ve pushed the U down to Peru 4 and Melgar from Sudamericana to Copa Libertadores Peru 3. A higher berth to Peru 3 is needed since the payout from CONMEBOL is higher than Peru 4. Both clubs came into this match hungry for a win.

It was a rocky match for the Cremas. Despite a Luis Urruti goal in the 25th minute, there was so many sloppy and wasted chances to extend our lead and careless defense. The poor defense bit us in the 80th minute when Quina committed a foul that led to a Melgar penalty goal in the 81st minute. The 1-1 score still had the U in Peru 3 but they needed to be keep it at that. For the 11th time this season, Alex Valera scored and give the U the 2-1 lead and 6th straight victory. Valera finished as the team leading goalscorer in 2021.

In a year with so many ups and downs, the U learned so much this year in both on and off the field. There are many questions to whether some of our key stars will stay or leave and which new player will come into the club in 2022. There will be an article about all of the soon such as what the club should do next and a year in review.