Alianza saw off Platense 2:1 in the thirteenth round of the Apertura at their home ground. J. Barreto opened the scoring inside the first five minutes, and another strike seven minutes later gave the hosts a comfortable two-goal cushion. The visitors rallied in the second half, with C. Bogota pulling one back at thirty-two minutes and W. Parra adding a late consolation at ninety-plus-eight.
And here's the thing — the match wasn't decided by the early goals so much as what happened after. Platense had to chase the game for nearly an hour, and though they pushed forward, Alianza's defence held firm. The away side kept possession when they needed to, and by then the hosts had settled into a rhythm that was hard to break.
The statistics tell a story you might not expect from the scoreline. Alianza registered 122 attacks compared to Platense's 102, but the visitors won the territorial battle with eight corners to three. Shots were evenly spread — ten off target against four for the hosts, while shots on target were three to four. Possession sat at 53 per cent for Alianza, 47 for Platense.
We had tipped Alianza to win, though our confidence was only 49 per cent. Cup football has its own rules, and this wasn't a match that looked like it would end easily. The hosts ground out the win, but Platense kept them in it until the final whistle. Fancy their chances next time around.
Alianza sit fifth with seventeen points from eleven games — four wins, five draws, two defeats. Platense are eighth on thirteen points after thirteen outings, with three victories, four draws and six losses. The result keeps the visitors in the mix, though the gap to the top half remains tight.
