Cienciano defeated Montevideo City Torque 2-0 at the Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in Cusco, Peru, on Thursday in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals.
Cristian Souza opened the scoring in the 29th minute, finishing off a low cross from Neri Bandiera. Maximiliano Amondarain doubled the lead in the 42nd minute with a long-range strike from outside the penalty area.
Chances and cards
Cienciano created several other openings. Bandiera failed to connect with a cross in the 7th minute, Ademar Robles headed a corner against the post in the 14th, and a header from Carlos Garces was cleared off the line by Gary Kagelmacher in the 27th. In the second half, a Souza shot in the 54th minute struck Garces, and a free kick from Alejandro Hohberg in the 61st was tipped over by Montevideo City Torque goalkeeper Franco Torgnascioli. Bandiera also went close with a header in the 74th minute.
Cienciano had two players booked, Carlos Cabello in the 33rd minute and Claudio Nunez in the 64th, while captain Carlos Garces was cautioned in the 67th minute.
Cienciano coach Horacio Melgarejo made two substitutions before Hohberg went off injured in the 84th minute, replaced by Juan Romagnoli. Matias Succar had already come on for Souza in the 80th minute, while Nunez had replaced Cabello in the 34th. Montevideo City Torque brought on Diogo Guzman for Nicolas Pizzichillo in the 76th minute and Nahuel Da Silva for Salomon Rodriguez in the 89th. The referee added five minutes at the end of the first half and six at the end of the second.
Confirmed line-ups
Cienciano lined up with Italo Espinoza in goal, Cabello, Amondarain, Kevin Becerra and Martinich in defense, Santiago Arias, Ademar Robles, Souza and Bandiera in midfield, and Hohberg and Garces up front.
Montevideo City Torque started with Torgnascioli, Eduardo Aguero, Kevin Silva, Kevin Gutierrez, Kagelmacher and Facundo Silvera in defense, Pizzichillo, Pablo Siles and Gonzalo Montes in midfield, and Esteban Obregon and Rodriguez as forwards.
Build-up to the match
Cienciano fans traveled to the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega stadium ahead of kick-off.
Former Cienciano player Santiago Acasiete, who won the Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana with the club, spoke on the program Denganche about Montevideo City Torque's decision to arrive in Cusco on the day of the match. He said that arriving in the altitude at the last moment made things harder for the Uruguayan side, since adapting suddenly to those conditions is very difficult for a team unused to them, and that the effect was worse against a side like Cienciano that presses opponents and denies them the chance to rest on the ball. Montevideo City Torque, like other visiting sides, chose to fly in on match day specifically to limit its players' exposure to the altitude.
A historic Copa Sudamericana run
Cienciano's coach, Argentine Horacio Melgarejo, said that if his side reached the final of the Copa Sudamericana he would beat Boca Juniors. Former Peru national team coach Ricardo Gareca also praised a Cienciano player for the club's campaign in the competition, saying the player had been called up by him.
Cienciano reached this stage after eliminating Argentina's Lanus and Brazil's Botafogo, having beaten Botafogo 6-1 at home before losing the return leg 1-0. Thursday's win was the club's latest unbeaten result on home turf in the tournament this year, following a 4-0 win over Lanus, a 1-1 draw with Juventud and wins over Atletico Mineiro and Puerto Cabello. It is the first time Cienciano has faced Montevideo City Torque, though the Cusco side previously drew twice with Uruguayan club Juventud de Las Piedras in the group stage. It is also the first time Montevideo City Torque has ever played a Peruvian club.
Cienciano was without midfielder Gerson Barreto, suspended after accumulating yellow cards, with journalist Paul Perez reporting that Gonzalo Aguirre was set to replace him. Hohberg was included in the squad despite carrying muscular discomfort.
Venue, officials and how to watch
The match was played at the Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, which holds around 45,000 spectators and sits 3,362 meters above sea level. Cienciano had told supporters that stadium gates would open at 4.30 p.m. local time.
Wilton Sampaio was the main referee, assisted by Danilo Manis and Bruno Boschilia, with Paulo Zanovelli as fourth official. Pablo Goncalves ran the VAR, assisted by Diego Pombo. The match kicked off at 7.30 p.m. Peruvian time and was broadcast on DSports and Paramount+. Leading bookmakers, including Betsson, Betano, Bet365, 1XBet, Caliente and Doradobet, listed Cienciano as the clear favorite before kick-off.
What comes next
The return leg between Montevideo City Torque and Cienciano is scheduled for September 17 in Uruguay, with the Cusco club now needing only to protect its two-goal advantage to advance to the semifinals. Other Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal first legs finished with Boca Juniors beating Sao Paulo 1-0, Santos beating Atletico Mineiro 2-0, and Santa Fe drawing 0-0 with Vasco da Gama.
