Juan Aurich 2 Sporting Cristal 3 (aet, agg 4-5): Chavez hands visitors Peruvian title

Sporting Cristal claimed the Peruvian Primera Division title after they outlasted Juan Aurich in extra time of their third leg on Sunday.

With the Peruvian top flight not using aggregate scores or away goals to decide finals, a third leg was required to decider the winner of the overall championship following Wednesday’s goalless draw that left the tie level 2-2 across two matches.

And the third leg at the Estadio Mansiche served up another thriller, as substitute Edinson Chavez’s 113th-minute goal gave Clausura champions Cristal a 3-2 win on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.

Chavez, who replaced Maximiliano Nunez nine minutes earlier, came off the bench to help clinch Cristal’s first overall championship since 2012.

Juan Aurich – the Apertura winners – made a dream start on home soil after Hernan Rengifo put the ball past Cristal goalkeeper Diego Penny in the 13th minute.

Cristal restored parity via Irven Avila three minutes before half-time, though Juan Aurich went into the break ahead thanks to Junior Viza’s strike two minutes later.

The topsy-turvy clash continued in the second half as Argentinian midfielder Horacio Calcaterra equalised in the 68th minute, which ultimately forced extra time with the tie all-square 4-4.

And Cristal substitute Chavez proved to be the hero in the second half of extra time on a memorable night for the visitors.