CUSCO (Interstat) — Visiting Sport Boys defeated home side Cusco 1-0 at Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega on Sunday, getting the only goal of the match from Jostin Alarcon in the 75th minute. The result gave Sport Boys a road victory in a contest that remained scoreless through the first hour and changed shape with a pair of red cards shortly before halftime. Cusco, which entered as the home team, could not find an equalizer after falling behind. Sport Boys scored one goal total and Cusco scored none. The game was decided in the second half after both sides had been reduced to 10 men, and Cusco’s late push did not produce a goal.

Alarcon’s goal was the decisive moment. His statline for the match was 16 minutes and one goal, and that contribution proved enough for Sport Boys. The match had been tight before the goal, with Cusco unable to convert its possession into a goal. Sport Boys defended its advantage over the final 15 minutes and held Cusco off the scoreboard. The red-card decisions and substitutions disrupted the flow, but Sport Boys managed the closing stages well enough to leave with the win. Alarcon’s finish came one minute after Sport Boys made a substitution in the 74th minute, and the visitors protected the lead through the final minutes. Cusco pressed for an equalizer after the goal, but Sport Boys kept its shape and limited clear chances.

The match grew heated in the 40th minute when both teams lost a player to a red card. Cusco’s R. Lagos and Sport Boys’ Y. Celi were sent off in the same minute, leaving both sides to play with 10 men. Sport Boys’ C. Zambrano was shown a yellow card in the 63rd minute. The disciplinary sequence added tension to a game that had already been physical, and it forced both coaches to adjust their plans. Cusco had to reorganize its back line after the sending-off, while Sport Boys also had to account for the loss of Celi. Neither team scored before halftime, and the match remained level until Alarcon’s goal.

Cusco made a substitution in the 46th minute involving D. Soto, then another in the 61st with J. Manzaneda. Sport Boys made a double substitution in the 68th, bringing on F. Illanes and C. Cueva. Sport Boys then used L. Urruti in the 74th minute. In the 87th minute, Sport Boys brought on P. Erustes while Cusco made two changes with A. Ampuero and J. Zevallos. The substitutions gave both sides fresh legs for the closing stretch, but Cusco could not turn its late changes into a goal. Sport Boys’ bench moves helped the visitors slow the game in the final minutes. Cusco’s final substitutions were made as the home side sought a late spark.

With the result, Sport Boys’ season record in this competition is now 2 wins and 2 losses. Cusco’s season record in this competition is now 2 wins and 3 losses. Sport Boys’ season record across all competitions is now 2 wins and 3 losses, while Cusco’s season record across all competitions is now 2 wins and 3 losses. Sport Boys had beaten FC Cajamarca 4-2 in its previous match and had also lost to Juan Pablo II and twice to Club Alianza Atletico earlier in the season. Cusco had won at Los Chankas in its previous match and had beaten Sporting Cristal at home before losing to Sport Huancayo and Alianza Lima. Those results left both teams looking for consistency, and Sport Boys found the only goal needed to secure the win.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cusco 2, Sport Boys 1, and its ELO system had projected Cusco with a 93.6 percent probability to win. Cusco had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.25. The total score of 1 went over the over/under line of 2.5.