Real Esport hold nerve to edge Puerta Cabello in Clausura clash
Real Esport secured a narrow 1:0 victory over Puerta Cabello in the seventh round of the Clausura phase of the First Division on Thursday evening. The away side took an early lead and held firm despite sustained pressure from the hosts, who dominated possession for large stretches of the match.
The decisive moment arrived in the fourth minute when Juan Castellanos opened the scoring for Real Esport. The home team pushed for an equaliser throughout but could only muster a late effort through Jhon Marchán, who found the net in the 74th minute before the result was seemingly overturned by a subsequent goal for the visitors.
Real Esport made three substitutions in the 63rd minute, bringing on Manuel Alejandro Sulbarán Solano and Flabian Londono Bedoya alongside Castellanos, who had scored. Puerta Cabello responded by replacing Pablo Lima and Luis Cassiani earlier, both of whom had picked up yellow cards in the first half.
The statistics tell a familiar story: Puerta Cabello controlled 63 per cent of possession and launched 108 attacks compared to Real Esport's 77, yet the visitors created two big chances while the hosts generated four. Real Esport completed 242 passes with 80 per cent accuracy, while Puerta Cabello managed 418 successful passes out of 485.
Puerta Cabello registered 14 shots with five on target, converting none from their four big chances, whereas Real Esport hit four targets from seven attempts. The home side won 18 aerial duels to the visitors' 18 but struggled to break down a disciplined defensive line that made 43 clearances.
Real Esport remain second in the standings with 39 points from 19 matches, while Puerta Cabello sit sixth with 30 points. The result maintains the three-point gap between the sides and extends Real Esport's unbeaten run to five games across all competitions.