Melgar and ADT played out a 0:0 draw at the Estadio de la UNSA on Saturday evening in the Clausura round eight of the Peruvian First Division. The hosts dominated possession and shots but could not find the net against a well-organised ADT side. By then, after two hours of football, neither manager could claim they had won anything.
Melgar controlled the tempo with 59 per cent of the ball, registering 106 attacks and 17 shots to ADT's 78 attacks and eight. The hosts created one big chance and hit the frame eight times, while the visitors managed just two shots on target. And here's the thing — they had nothing to do all evening, then suddenly found themselves under pressure.
The match statistics told the familiar story of a dominant side failing to convert. Melgar completed 429 of 499 passes and sent 114 into the final third, while ADT managed 287 successful passes from 351 attempts. The visitors made 15 interceptions and 26 clearances, trying to keep the home side at bay. To be fair, they were second to everything, but they stayed compact.
Yellow cards accumulated in the closing stages, with Leonel Gonzalez, Miguel Rondelli, and Hernán Rengifo — who picked up two — joining the book. Rengifo's second came in the 90th minute, adding to the tension as the game stretched into stoppage time. The support of the fans could be called devoted, but that is an assessment, not a fact. The fact is that the club sits top of the table
Melgar remain seventh with 39 points from 24 games, while ADT sit 17th with 22 points. The result extends Melgar's recent run of mixed results — they had drawn with Alianza Lima and lost to Atletico Grau before this. ADT, meanwhile, have struggled for consistency, with only five wins all season.
We had backed the hosts for victory at 62 per cent confidence, but the match refused to behave. The statistics suggested a Melgar win, yet the visitors defended with enough discipline to frustrate. Cup football has its own rules, but this was league football, and the points were shared.
