Deportivo Garcilaso claimed a narrow 1-0 win over league leaders Alianza Lima in the Clausura seventh round at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva, ending their hosts' hopes of extending their unbeaten run. The result sees the visitors climb to third place, closing the gap on the table while Alianza remain top following 24 matches.
The decisive moment came in the twenty-ninth minute when B. Da Silva stepped up to take a penalty and made no mistake, sending the ball home to give Deportivo Garcilaso the lead. It was a rare chance created in an afternoon where Alianza dominated possession but struggled to find clear-cut opportunities, managing only one big chance all game compared to the visitors' three.
And here's the thing — the statistics tell you little of what actually happened on the pitch. Alianza enjoyed 71 per cent of the ball, registered 24 shots with six on target, and earned ten corners, yet they could not find the net. Deportivo Garcilaso, with 29 per cent possession and just seven attempts, converted 63 per cent of their shots on target and took their chance efficiently.
The match was punctuated by ten yellow cards, six for each side, and several substitutions that reflected the tactical adjustments made as the game progressed. Paolo Guerrero and A. Cantero came off for Alianza in the forty-sixth minute, while Deportivo brought on M. Antoni, L. Advincula and J. Velez together in the seventy-fifth minute.
By then, the visitors had already built a defensive wall that tested Alianza's patience. The hosts increased pressure in the final twenty minutes, making three changes including B. Da Silva's replacement in the eighty-eighth minute, but could not break through. Deportivo Garcilaso held firm to complete a professional performance that rewarded their clinical approach.
