Barcos Urges Caution After Alianza's Win Against Universidad Católica

According to El Comercio, Hernán Barcos has called for caution after Alianza Lima’s 2-0 victory over Universidad Católica de Quito in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana round of 16. The Argentine striker, who played a pivotal role despite not scoring, praised his team’s performance but stressed that the job is far from finished.

“It was a fair result, but 2-0 means nothing, we still have 90 minutes in Quito,” he said during a press conference. Barcos pointed to a similar scenario against Gremio, when an early advantage was not enough to clinch the series. “We can’t think it’s already done; we need to go there and finish the job,” he warned.

Coming off the bench, Barcos forced defensive mistakes from the Ecuadorian side that led to scoring opportunities. He admitted the margin could have been bigger but acknowledged the visitors also had chances. For the return leg, set for August 20 in the Ecuadorian capital, Alejandro Restrepo’s squad is bracing for the altitude and the home side’s push.

Alianza Lima, aiming for a place in the quarterfinals, will travel with the task of protecting their lead and representing Peruvian football successfully against an opponent that remains in the fight.