Curicó Unido

Match report

Deportes Santa Cruz beat Curico Unido 2:1 in the Primera B's twentieth round on Thursday night, a result that keeps the visitors within touching distance of their hosts despite sitting lower in the table. Both sides had played 23 games, Curico on 21 points and Santa Cruz on 18, so this away win tightened the gap considerably.

And here's the thing about the opening exchanges — Curico took the lead through N. Barrios in the 42nd minute, only for him to pick up a yellow card himself by the half-hour mark. The hosts pressed forward after that, but Santa Cruz's defence held firm and the visitors went into the break with a chance.

By then Curico had lost their shape. L. Lopez received a red card in the 63rd minute and the situation worsened when N. Fernandez was sent off just before the final whistle, leaving the hosts with ten men for the closing stages. Santa Cruz kept their composure and found a way back into it.

D. Arias scored the winner in the 88th minute, a moment that felt inevitable once Curico were down to ten men. L. Benegas had already given the visitors the lead in the 58th minute, and Arias simply confirmed what the game was heading towards. Curico had nothing to do all evening once the maths changed.

The statistics told a flat story — both sides shared possession evenly, Curico edged the corners 7 to 7, and the shots on target came 4 to 8 in Santa Cruz's favour. This wasn't a match decided by volume, but by three or four decisive moments. Curico now sit on 21 points in 14th place, while Santa Cruz move up to 21 points in 15th, level on points and ahead on goal difference.

Prepared from match data

Key numbers

Possession, % 50 – 50

Shots on target 4 – 8

Shots off target 7 – 3

Corners 7 – 7

🟨 17' G. Sarria — Yellow card ⚽ 42' N. Barrios — Goal 🟨 45' Yellow card 🟨 45+1' N. Barrios — Yellow card ⇄ 46' A. E. Ramirez Cuevas — Substitution ⇄ 46' J. Romo — Substitution ⇄ 46' B. Inostroza — Substitution ⚽ 58' L. Benegas — Goal 🟨 60' F. Orellana — Yellow card 🟥 63' L. Lopez — Red card 🟥 64' L. Lopez — Red card ⇄ 68' F. Orellana — Substitution ⇄ 68' N. Barrios — Substitution ⇄ 77' L. Benegas — Substitution 🟨 78' N. Fernandez — Yellow card ⇄ 80' I. Quiroz — Substitution ⚽ 88' D. Arias — Goal ⇄ 90+2' D. Arias — Substitution 🟥 90+7' N. Fernandez — Red card

Match events

17' 0:0 Curicó Unido Yellow card G. Sarria
42' 0:1 Deportes Santa Cruz Goal N. Barrios
45' 0:1 Deportes Santa Cruz Yellow card
45+1' 0:1 Deportes Santa Cruz Yellow card N. Barrios
46' 0:1 Curicó Unido Substitution A. E. Ramirez Cuevas off: N. Fernandez
46' 0:1 Curicó Unido Substitution J. Romo off: E. Ormeno
46' 0:1 Curicó Unido Substitution B. Inostroza off: M. Lopes Acevedo
58' 1:1 Curicó Unido Goal L. Benegas
60' 1:1 Deportes Santa Cruz Yellow card F. Orellana
63' 1:1 Curicó Unido Red card L. Lopez
64' 1:1 Curicó Unido Red card L. Lopez
68' 1:1 Deportes Santa Cruz Substitution F. Orellana off: C. Castillo
68' 1:1 Deportes Santa Cruz Substitution N. Barrios off: P. Brito
77' 1:1 Curicó Unido Substitution L. Benegas off: F. Oliver
78' 1:1 Curicó Unido Yellow card N. Fernandez
80' 1:1 Deportes Santa Cruz Substitution I. Quiroz off: C. Moreno
88' 1:2 Deportes Santa Cruz Goal D. Arias
90+2' 1:2 Deportes Santa Cruz Substitution D. Arias off: N. Zeineddin
90+7' 1:2 Curicó Unido Red card N. Fernandez

Statistics

50 Possession, % 50

4 Shots on target 8

7 Shots off target 3

0 Attacks 0

7 Corners 7

4 Free kicks 10

1 Offsides 1

2 Yellow cards 2

2 Red cards 0

9 Goal kicks 11

31 Throw-ins 37

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Deportes Santa Cruz

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