# 1973 Torneo Descentralizado

The 1973 Torneo Descentralizado was the 57th season of the Peruvian Primera División and the ninth season of the Torneo Descentralizado. It was won for the first time by Defensor Lima. Sportivo Huracán, Atlético Torino, José Gálvez, and Deportivo SIMA were relegated.

## Competition modus

Eighteen teams competed against each other at home and away for a total of 34 rounds. At the end of the 34th round, four teams were relegated and the top six teams in the league table played an additional 5 rounds against each other at a neutral venue which was the Estadio Nacional. Once these 5 rounds concluded, the champions and runners-up qualified to the 1974 Copa Libertadores.

## Teams
### Team changes

| Promoted from 1972 Segunda División | Promoted from 1973 Copa Perú | Relegated from 1972 Primera División |
| Atlético Chalaco (1st) | Sportivo Huracán (1st) Cienciano (2nd) | Carlos A. Mannucci (15th) Defensor Arica (15th) |

### Stadia locations

| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Field |
| Alianza Lima | La Victoria, Lima | Nacional | 45,750 | Grass |
| Atlético Chalaco | Callao | Miguel Grau | 15,000 | Grass |
| Atlético Grau | Piura | Miguel Grau (Piura) | 25,000 | Grass |
| Atlético Torino | Talara | Campeonísimo | 8,000 | Grass |
| Cienciano | Cusco | Garcilaso | 40,000 | Grass |
| CNI | Iquitos | Max Augustín | 24,000 | Grass |
| Defensor Lima | Breña, Lima | Nacional | 45,750 | Grass |
| Deportivo Municipal | Cercado de Lima | Nacional | 45,750 | Grass |
| Deportivo SIMA | Callao | Miguel Grau | 15,000 | Grass |
| José Gálvez | Chimbote | Manuel Rivera Sánchez | 25,000 | Grass |
| Juan Aurich | Chiclayo | Elías Aguirre | 24,500 | Grass |
| León de Huánuco | Huánuco | Heraclio Tapia | 15,000 | Grass |
| Melgar | Arequipa | Mariano Melgar | 20,000 | Grass |
| Sport Boys | Callao | Miguel Grau | 15,000 | Grass |
| Sporting Cristal | Rímac, Lima | Nacional | 45,750 | Grass |
| Sportivo Huracán | Arequipa | Mariano Melgar | 20,000 | Grass |
| Unión Tumán | Tumán | Eugenio Zapata Mingoya | 8,000 | Grass |
| Universitario | Breña, Lima | Nacional | 45,750 | Grass |

## League table
### First stage

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Sporting Cristal | 34 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 49 | 28 | +21 | 45 | Liguilla Final |
| 2 | Universitario | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 58 | 34 | +24 | 44 | Liguilla Final |
| 3 | Melgar | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 53 | 25 | +28 | 43 | Liguilla Final |
| 4 | Defensor Lima | 34 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 46 | 28 | +18 | 42 | Liguilla Final |
| 5 | Deportivo Municipal | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 49 | 34 | +15 | 42 | Liguilla Final |
| 6 | Alianza Lima | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 55 | 32 | +23 | 41 | Liguilla Final |
| 7 | Atlético Chalaco | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 47 | 43 | +4 | 38 | |
| 8 | Sportivo Huracán | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 34 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 9 | Cienciano | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 40 | 42 | −2 | 33 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 10 | Unión Tumán | 34 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 37 | 38 | −1 | 32 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 11 | Atlético Grau | 34 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 37 | 36 | +1 | 30 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 12 | León de Huánuco | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 30 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 13 | Sport Boys | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 47 | 56 | −9 | 28 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 14 | Juan Aurich | 34 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 38 | 53 | −15 | 28 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 15 | CNI | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 39 | 56 | −17 | 26 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 16 | Atlético Torino | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 35 | 57 | −22 | 26 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional |
| 17 | José Gálvez | 34 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 37 | 56 | −19 | 25 | Relegation to the Copa Perú |
| 18 | Deportivo SIMA | 34 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 24 | 46 | −22 | 25 | Relegation to the Copa Perú |

### Liguilla Final

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | DLI | CRI | UNI | ALI | MUN | MEL |
| 1 | Defensor Lima | 39 | 17 | 17 | 5 | 54 | 30 | +24 | 51 | 1974 Copa Libertadores and 1974 Copa Simón Bolívar | | | 2–1 | 3–0 | | |
| 2 | Sporting Cristal | 39 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 50 | 1974 Copa Libertadores | 0–1 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | | |
| 3 | Universitario | 39 | 19 | 11 | 9 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 49 | | | | | 1–2 | | 4–0 |
| 4 | Alianza Lima | 39 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 61 | 39 | +22 | 47 | | | | | | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 5 | Deportivo Municipal | 39 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 54 | 40 | +14 | 46 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | | | |
| 6 | Melgar | 39 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 57 | 37 | +20 | 44 | Qualification for 1974 Reclasificatorio Regional | 1–1 | 2–3 | | | 1–2 | |

## Top scorers

| Player | Nationality | Goals | Club |
| Francisco Gonzales | Peru | 25 | Defensor Lima |
| Marcos Portilla | Peru | 24 | José Gálvez |
| Jorge Ramírez | Peru | 23 | Sport Boys |
| Vinha de Souza | Brazil | 20 | Sporting Cristal |
| Héctor Bailetti | Peru | 17 | Universitario |
| Juan Rivero Arias | Peru | 16 | Alianza Lima |
| Eladio Reyes | Peru | 15 | Deportivo Municipal |
| Pedro Alexis González | Argentina | 14 | Defensor Lima |
| Oswaldo Ramírez | Peru | 14 | Universitario |
| Pablo Muchotrigo | Peru | 14 | Cienciano |
| Francisco Montero | Peru | 13 | Atlético Torino |
| Enrique Casaretto | Peru | 13 | Atlético Chalaco |
| Oscar Pianetti | Argentina | 12 | Unión Tumán |
| Mario Núñez Delgado | Peru | 12 | Sportivo Huracán |

## Awards

| Award | Winner |
| Best Team | Defensor Lima |
| Golden Boot | Vinha de Souza (Sporting Cristal) |
| Manager of the year | Roque Gastón Máspoli (Defensor Lima) |
| Goalkeeper of the year | Ramón Quiroga (Sporting Cristal) |
| Foreign player of the year | Vinha de Souza (Sporting Cristal) |
| Young player of the year | César Cueto (Deportivo Municipal) |
| Veteran player of the year | Pedro Pablo León (Alianza Lima) |
| Breakout player | Marcos Portilla (José Gálvez) |
| Disappointing player | Ángel Clemente Rojas (Deportivo Municipal) |