Liga FUTVE: Puerto Cabello secure third win in a row to maintain top spot

With the conclusion of Matchday 17 in the FUTVE League, the destiny of the Playoffs is only certain for two sides, while the remaining teams are engaged in a fiercely contested battle to secure a place in the top 4.

A pivotal clash to secure a playoff berth

The weekend kicked off with a match between Portuguesa, currently in fifth place, and Carabobo, who held the fourth position with just a one-point advantage over Jesús Ortiz’s side.

The game remained evenly balanced until the 66th minute when Antonio Romero’s long-range shot deflected off a Carabobo player, finding its way into the goal defended by Nicolás Caprio.

It seemed a formality that the home team would emerge victorious, but in the 81st minute, Brayan Rodríguez headed in a corner to equalize and the result ended in a 1-1 draw.

Later in the day, Deportivo Táchira secured a 1-0 away victory against Angostura, thanks to Gonzalo Ritacco’s penalty goal in the 68th minute. This result extends the unbeaten streak of the “aurinegros” to 10 games and solidifies their position in second place.

Meanwhile, Angostura dropped out of contention for the Copa Sudamericana spots.

League leaders maintain form

After an absence of over a month and a half, Puerto Cabello returned to Liga FUTVE action, having last played on May 12 in a 3-1 triumph over Zamora.

This time, they secured a 2-0 victory against the same opponents. Raudy Guerrero and Williams Lugo were the goal-scorers, but the spotlight belonged to Luifer Hernández, who created two assists and delivered an impeccable performance. Moreover, Hernández now holds the record for the most direct goal involvements in Liga FUTVE this season, with 8 goals and 2 assists.

In another fixture, Mineros drew 1-1 with Estudiantes de Mérida. The result condemned Mineros to remain rooted at the bottom of the table. While Franklin Lucena’s team climbed into the Copa Sudamericana positions.

Mineros failed to capitalise on their previous week’s victory and remain on course to be relegated to Liga FUTVE2.

On Sunday, La Guaira, currently in seventh place, surprised third-placed Caracas with a 2-1 victory.

All goal contributions occurred in a frantic first-half display. La Guaira swiftly took the lead with a goal by Edder Farias in just the second minute, followed by a goal from Rafael Arace in the 22nd minute. For the visitors, Saúl Guarirapa found the net in the 33rd minute, but it wasn’t enough to stop a surprise loss for the Playoff hopefuls.

Monagas’ struggles continue…

The team from Maturin suffered a 3-1 home defeat against Rayo Zuliano, further distancing themselves from the cup spots. José Ochoa delivered an impressive performance and scored twice to secure victory for his team.

To conclude Matchday 17, Hermanos Colmenarez suffered a heavy defeat at home to Metropolitanos. The visitors had an opportunity to break the deadlock from the penalty spot, but Juan Mancín missed. The match seemed destined for a draw, but in the final minutes, Freddy Vargas received another penalty (following his earlier attempt), and this time Charlis Ortiz made no mistake, sealing the winning goal for his team.

With this victory, Metropolitanos now sit just one point behind Carabobo in the race for a top-four finish.