The Alianza albos controlled a Philadelphia Union in their chances that had the clearest chances in the first leg. Everything shuts down in the United States
Under the discreet gaze of the moon through the clouds, the first duel of the series between Alianza FC and the Philadelphia Union for the first round of the Concacaf Champions League left a 0-0 scoreline, reflecting a match where the Americans did not define the they had and the albos knew how to stop the momentum that the visiting squad had at times.
Los albos, diminished by the casualties of Iván Mancía (it led to expulsion), Alex Larín, Ezequiel Rivas, Hugo Palacios and Juan Carlos Portillo had to appeal to what they had, with Fito Zelaya as the starter, plus the bands covered by Oscar Rodríguez and Michell Market. For its part, Philadelphia rotated several of its starters who played in the MLS last weekend, something that was enough to get through the game without much trouble.
Elements like Julián Carranza and Juan Martínez started from the bench of Jim Curtis, although they entered for the last half hour in search of something else.
In general, the game had a compressed playing space at all times, due to the visitors, who played with their line of 3 in defense near the midfield, 40 meters from their goalkeeper, the experienced Jamaican Andre Blake, from the few headlines in the Colossus.
Alianza played a good part of the match with the 4-3-2-1, converted into 4-3-3 when it went vertically in attack. Court? He is not in good condition, but he allowed a better game than last Wednesday, but the teams prioritized the ball. The best stretch of the even game for the Union was the first 20 minutes, since Quinn Sullivan appeared there, who had a bounced ball left and hit it first and went over the top.
Then came Chris Donovan, who was running and Mario González was about to bring him down in the area, but there was no decision from the Mexican.
Donovan reappeared a couple of minutes later and headed in to corner a dangerous ball. Alianza had its best opportunity in a cross from Mercado towards William Canales, one of the best in the duel, but he couldn’t hit it in a better way and beat Blake.
no longer moved
The first half ended with an Alianza over the North American box and that’s how it began, trying to get the balls offensively, trying to overcome the defensive and advanced lock of the North Americans. In the game, it was the best part, due to emotions for the 6,000 people reported as capacity.
Mario González fulfilled his quota of notable spikes per game with a spectacular refusal of the ball headed by Jack Mcglynn on 58′, Camilo Mancilla saved her on the countershot on his best night as a white in the central defense. The North Americans approached over three quarters of the field, but they did not have another great opportunity in front of González’s goal. Óscar Rodríguez hit the goal straight and it was taken by Blake, in perhaps his only great relevant save in the game, at 60 ‘.
Curtis tried to change the fate of the game by entering his stars José Martínez, Daniel Qazdag and Julián Carranza, but they could not do anything, since Alianza showed their best defensive facet of the night, with Alexis Renderos and Henry Romero preventing everything that entered through the center of the field. At 80′, Michell Mercado sent a cross and Canales could not hit him again, the ball went off in what was the last great play of the first leg of the round of 16, which in addition to keeping the streak undefeated in four games without losing by the albos in Cuscatlán for the Champions League, leaves everything open for next Tuesday in Philadelphia.
LOOK ALSO: Moon and gunpowder in Cuscatlán for Alianza’s debut
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