Alianza Lima surprised once again in the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores, this time defeating Deportes Iquique 2-1 in the first leg of the Third Round. After their historic elimination of Boca Juniors, the Peruvian team secured a crucial victory with goals from Hernán Barcos and Eryc Castillo. The goal for Iquique came from an own goal by Carlos Zambrano.

Total Dominance in the First Half

From the start, Alianza Lima displayed overwhelming superiority. The first goal came in the 31st minute, when Barcos, at 40 years old, made a perfect diagonal run to put his team ahead. Just three minutes later, Eryc Castillo dazzled with a stunner from the edge of the box, placing the ball in the top corner and doubling the lead for the visitors.

In the second half, Deportes Iquique grew in dominance, looking to take advantage of their home-field advantage. The hope-filled goal came in the 66th minute when Carlos Zambrano, in an unfortunate play, scored an own goal, bringing the locals closer on the scoreboard.

The Return Leg: Key for Both Teams

With this victory, Alianza Lima takes a slight advantage into the return leg at home, where they will aim to seal their spot in the next round. Deportes Iquique will need to mount a comeback if they want to stay alive in the Copa Libertadores, with their eyes set on achieving a historic feat on Peruvian soil.