Sporting Cristal defeated Juan Pablo II 2-0 at the Estadio Alberto Gallardo on Sunday to move to six points in the Liga 1 2026 Torneo Clausura, with both goals coming after the break from Hernán Barcos and Santiago González.
The first half was scoreless despite Cristal pressing forward in the opening minutes and Miguel Araujo heading wide from a free kick in the 11th minute. A potential penalty for the hosts was ruled out in the 36th minute after a VAR review determined there had been a prior foul against them.
Barcos breaks the deadlock
Cristal took the lead just one minute into the second half. Barcos, known as El Pirata, capitalised on a defensive error to shoot and make it 1-0. He was substituted off in the 83rd minute alongside González.
González doubled the advantage in the 80th minute, going one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper and finishing to put the match beyond doubt. He received a yellow card moments later for removing his shirt in celebration.
Juan Pablo II came closest to pulling one back in the 84th minute when Erinson Ramirez had a chance on the counter-attack, but his shot was saved by Cristal goalkeeper Diego Enriquez. The referee added five minutes of stoppage time before the final whistle confirmed the 2-0 result.
Looking ahead
The victory, Cristal’s first in the Clausura at home, came after back-to-back defeats against Melgar and an exit from the Copa Sudamericana. The club had also drawn twice with Bragantino in their most recent outings. With six points from three Clausura matches, Cristal now await a fixture against Universitario in the next round.
Juan Pablo II, who had beaten Cienciano 2-0 in their previous outing on 25 July, remain without a Clausura win on the road.
