Atlético Torque saw off Cienciano 2-0 in the Sudamericana quarter-finals on Thursday night, a result that keeps the hosts top of their group and leaves the visitors in second place. The match ended with a tight scoreline that belied the flow of possession, and by then it was clear the visitors had overcommitted.
Cristian Souza opened the scoring in the twenty-eighth minute, a moment that caught the away side off guard. They tried to respond but Mariano Bogliacino added a second just before half-time, in the forty-second, and that was the turning point. Cienciano had possession but could not find a way through, and the hosts were happy to sit deep and strike on the counter.
Cienciano controlled the ball but the final pass was missing. They registered eleven shots on target yet managed only one, while Atlético managed to convert two chances from a single effort. The visitors had 65 per cent possession but the shots accuracy of 0.39 tells you something — they were shooting from distance, and the goalkeeper saved eight times to keep his side in it.
The away side had three yellow cards but no reds, and the discipline was there even if the edge was not. Atlético made six substitutions in the second half, bringing on fresh legs to see out the game. The hosts will take comfort from the fact they have kept three clean sheets on the spin now, and the old head settled them down when the pressure came.
In the standings, Atlético remain first with thirteen points from six games, while Cienciano sit second on eight. The gap is five points and that is significant in a knockout competition. The hosts have won four and lost one, while the visitors have drawn twice and lost twice — the difference is in the finishing.