The rimenses received The Strongest for the Copa Libertadores amid much uncertainty, from a recent exchange of words between their captain and coach. We are talking about Yoshimar Yotún and Tiago Nunes, who held nothing back last Friday in the draw against César Vallejo (1-1). The crisis reached its peak, with poor football levels in each position of the team and it seemed that the long-term sports project with Nunes was coming to an end. But there was a self-criticism, a last chance to emerge from that dark pit in which the Bajopontines were.
If you ask me what changed from that fatal day to Tuesday night, I choose to believe that, in the last practices, in the concentration, in Florida, they sang “La Fuerza Ganadora” again, with that part in which it says “Let’s all go together, let’s put our efforts together, let’s sing joyfully, let’s sing together, because we are the winning force”. And it is that before the Bolivians there was not a lucid Rimense team or that surpassed their rival on duty from start to finish. However, what we did observe was attitude and effort, which in the end led to a well-deserved victory by the slightest difference and which restores the illusion to all the celestial people.
A solid defense, with the always compliant Ignácio Da Silva and Gianfranco Chávez, who exchanged profiles (the Brazilian on the left and the youth player on the right) and stopped the attacks of the Bolivian ‘Tigre’. A Jhilmar Lora who was again the right back when he arrived in the area, added a good task in the rear. Of course, we all stayed with the goal, with scissors and with the anguish of the VAR, but the 22-year-old footballer was also a high point when defending.
Point aside and to highlight Rafael Lutiger, who received the confidence to be the left back, after the absence of Nilson Loyola, who was not there due to a technical decision. ‘Rafa’, another footballer from the house, always responded when countering the Bolivian attacks. It is true that his forte is not attacking, but he also tried to reach the rival area. Jesús Pretell returned to the title and showed why Tiago once praised him. “If I had to go to war, I would choose him as a soldier”. Joao Grimaldo and Alejandro Hohberg were also unbalancing. It is clear that they still have a lot to give, but the version of both, at least the one from last night, leaves the fans and the coaching staff calmer.
Of course, there are still points to improve, to exploit. There are footballers who are not yet decisive, as they should be. We are talking about Brenner Marlos, Washington Corozo or Martín Távara himself, who has started again after the discreet level of Jesús Castillo, who entered against The Strongest and had an acceptable job. The job of the technical command is to recover their best version of each of them, especially in the Brazilian Marlos, who shows, once again, that for three seasons the Rimense board has not been successful with the hiring of ‘9′ . It is in the striker himself to give him a 360 degree turn to become the gunner that the ‘SC’ needs.
Now, the goal is to raise his head in League 1, with the same attitude he showed on his last night in the Cup. Sporting Cristal has almost lost the Apertura. Only a miracle or a catastrophe from the other two greats of Peruvian soccer can take him to the top. For the moment, the job will be to add all the possible points, since the accumulated table also matters in the outcome of this 2023 season of the national championship. The route will not be easy, since UTC is coming in Cajamarca and Unión Comercio in Tarapoto. All in visiting condition. Then, they must put themselves in ‘Cup Mode’.
And it is that on date 4, River Plate will arrive in Lima to play a final against the rimenses. The group is tight, with Fluminense shooting, with a perfect score, but with The Strongest, Sporting Cristal and the ‘millionaires’ with three units. Anything can happen, but once again, Tiago Nunes and his squad must aim to re-sing “The Winning Force”, because on many occasions the Cup is played more with the heart, with attitude, with effort, than with good game.
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