Alianza Lima coach, after eliminating Boca: 'We were left for dead'

Known for his very direct statements, coach Néstor Gorosito did not deviate from his characteristic after Alianza Lima advanced against Boca Juniors in the second knockout phase of the Libertadores.

Even before the ball rolled at La Bombonera, the Argentine coach had already spoken in a tone of minimizing the effect of having to seek qualification at the legendary venue. Something he repeated after achieving the feat, but without failing to "poke" at those who did not believe in the possibility:

"It's 11 against 11, two goals, two penalty areas. They thought we were dead before the game. That's why football is so beautiful and enchanting. I know that, for Peruvian football, it's very good. We have very good players, who treat the ball well. We're putting together a very good group, I'm very happy for them."

'Joy ends up covering up flaws'

Despite feeling a sense of accomplishment, Gorosito made some comments about Alianza's performance in the knockout stage. For him, with the volume of play in the first leg, the team from the Andean capital could have taken advantage of Buenos Aires in terms of making the match less dramatic. Furthermore, he believes that his players could have shown more of their skills as visitors.

"In Lima, we deserved to win by two or three goals. We have to improve as visitors so as not to suffer like we did today. We wanted to play more freely, on equal terms. Boca beat us. We have to improve a lot of things, but joy ends up covering up our mistakes. We have to look at them so that they don't happen again," warns Gorosito.

In the last stage before the Libertadores groups, Alianza Lima faces Iquique, from Chile, who beat Independiente Santa Fe also via penalties. The clashes will take place on March 4 and 11 in Lima and Iquique, respectively.

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