Zé Ricardo Leaves Felipe Vizeu Out Ahead of Fc Cajamarca - Sporting Cristal
fc cajamarca - sporting cristal began with Sporting Cristal traveling to Cajamarca on Thursday, May 14, 2025, without Felipe Vizeu in the squad. Zé Ricardo also left Santiago González out of the delegation for the May 15 Liga 1 match at Estadio Héroes de San Ramón.
The call was sharper because Vizeu was Cristal’s top scorer at the time, with five goals in ten Torneo Apertura appearances and seven starts. Cristal reached the trip with 16 points after 14 dates, sitting 12th in the Liga 1 standings after eight draws and three losses.
Zé Ricardo and Cajamarca
The coach sent the team more than 700 kilometers north without one of its most productive forwards. That left Cristal to face FC Cajamarca at 15:00 hours on Friday, May 15, with a trimmed attacking group and a road match that arrived in the middle of a rough league stretch.
Hernán Barcos was on the other side for Cajamarca, but the Cristal focus stayed on selection. Zé Ricardo’s choice removed Vizeu from the trip list even though the forward had already delivered five goals in ten appearances, a return that had made him one of the few consistent finishers in the Apertura.
Sporting Cristal’s League Position
The wider picture was harder to ignore. Sporting Cristal had gone three consecutive away matches without a win, and the league table showed why the coaching staff was prepared to sacrifice some domestic firepower for control over the schedule.
Cristal entered the week third in Group F with six points after four Copa Libertadores matches. Four days after the Cajamarca trip, the club was scheduled to face Junior de Barranquilla on Wednesday, May 20, 2025, at 21:00 hours Peru time, a fixture that sat directly behind the league visit and shaped the roster decision.
For supporters, the immediate takeaway is simple: Vizeu was not part of the travel group for Cajamarca, and Cristal moved into Friday’s match with its top scorer left behind while the Libertadores match against Junior stayed the priority.
