Deportivo Cali added a new failure by falling last night 2-1 against Melgar de Arequipa, in Peru, for the round of 16 of the South American Cup.
With goals from Bernardo Cuesta (58′ and 73′). The ‘sugar bowl’ discount was from Santiago Mosquera (90+7′).
The Verdiblanco team was left with nothing to fight for in the season, after losing the Super League, being eliminated in the first League of the year, as well as in the Colombia Cup, the Libertadores Cup and now the Suramericana, on the eve of the start of the League II.
The local team began by imposing their dominance, playing particularly on the wings, where the sugar right back, Aldaír Gutiérrez, suffered at times, because Melgar’s men made him 2-1 and easily left him on the road to then lift balls to the center of the area. .
An early goal by the Peruvians was disallowed for offside, after reviewing the VAR. But the action warned about Melgar’s pretensions in the match.
In the 10th minute, Cali had its first approach with a play in which Kevin Velasco, who was placed as a left winger, and Yony González joined together, but the action did not represent a danger at Carlos Cáceda’s goal.
The clearest scoring play of the first 45 minutes happened in minute 33, after the team led by interim coach Ítalo Cervino, who took over after the departure of Rafael Dudamel, organized a counterattack led by Aldaír and Kevin. The winger quickly touched the ball to the left side, where Kevin was running, but the winger could not control the ball to take the shot and Melgar’s goalkeeper won the duel.
Using his most dangerous formula, Melgar conceived a play on the left in which Luis Iberico, the soccer player with the greatest mobility in the Peruvian team, appropriated the ball, eluded a rival, outlined himself for the shot and took a shot that forced Guillermo de Amores to stretch. The ball went slightly wide. It was the 39th minute. The two teams went to the showers with 0-0 on the board.
the hammer arrived
The game looked even, as the first half showed, but in the second it was unbalanced in favor of Melgar and it was thanks to his scorer Bernardo Cuesta.
The center forward converted the first penalty goal, after Germán Mera touched the ball with his hand in a closing and the judge sanctioned with the execution from twelve steps. Cuesta charged to the right side and De Amores threw himself there, but he could not contain the ball. That first goal came in the 58th minute.
Cali had a brief reaction, trying it with Hárold Santiago Mosquera, who joined the complementary part for Christian Mafla, but the ‘Sugar Bowlers’ lacked danger and forcefulness.
A poor delivery in the midfield cost him the second goal against Cali, which was played in search of a draw. Cuesta took advantage of a pass from his teammate, ran alone towards the goal on the left side and defined Guillermo de Amores’s cross post to score the definitive qualifying goal.
The discount for Deportivo Cali came at minute 90 + 7, through a rebound that Santiago Mosquera won inside the area and against the Peruvian goalkeeper defined the only goal of the verdiblando in the entire series.
Cali will return to the country today in the midst of a gray panorama, in search of a coach and ‘ad portas’ to start a League in which they will have to forget the campaign of the first semester, which ends with this new failure, in the South American .
