Overview
- Martín Távara scored at the death to seal a 2-1 win over Cienciano, booking Sporting Cristal’s place in the Liga 1 playoffs and securing a Copa Libertadores berth.
- Catriel Cabellos was sent off minutes after coming on following a VAR review of an elbow, leaving Cristal to finish under added pressure.
- Gustavo Zevallos publicly dismissed talk of a coaching change and emphasized institutional backing for Autuori under a deal running through late 2026.
- Zevallos pointed to six recent national-team call-ups from Cristal as evidence of progress under the current project.
- Separately, Cusco FC beat Sport Boys 3-0 in a match halted about 10 minutes by heavy hail, a result that lifted Cusco to second in the accumulated table as coach Miguel Rondelli denied links to Cristal as unsubstantiated rumors.