Liga Deportiva Alajuelense was the only Costa Rican team to win the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Central American Cup, defeating Comunicaciones 1-2 at the Cementos Progreso Stadium, in Guatemala City. The series will finish being resolved this Thursday, October 3, starting at 8:06 pm, at the Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium.
That comeback in Chapín territory was vital for the red and black team, because apart from adding three important points to increase their distance as the absolute leader in the general classification of this competition, the league players managed to put the visiting goal on their side, if necessary.
The above implies that if the League loses by the minimum, the series would be equal 2-2 on aggregate, but it would advance to the semifinals of the Central American Cup by that tiebreaker criterion.
However, that idea is not even in the minds of Alexandre Guimaraes and his team. Alajuelense is the defending champion of the Central American Cup and since this competition was launched, the Manudos have not known defeat. In this regional tournament they have 15 undefeated games.
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Last Thursday, in Guatemala, the creams opened the account just in the 3rd minute. The League was suffering and that score was rather cheap, because the team seemed asleep in the first half.
During the complement, Alajuelense knew how to shake themselves up with the scores of Diego Campos and Alberto Toril, after two assists from Celso Borges.
“We still have to return home, which won’t be easy, but we trust in ourselves. We have a very united group, we do not give up. Many times we have started losing on the scoreboard and in the end we always get ahead, we don’t give up,” said Spanish attacker Alberto Toril.
The only result that would leave the League out of the semifinals would be a defeat against Comunicaciones by more than a goal difference.
With a tie by any score, or with a win, Alajuelense would advance to the semifinals of the Concacaf Central American Cup and qualify once and for all for next year’s Champions Cup.
The League or Communications? The team that advances in this series will face Antigua in the semifinals, which on Tuesday had a magical and dreamlike night at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, beating the purple team 3-0 and eliminating them from the Central American Cup.
The loser in the match between red and black and cream will be measured in a round-trip playoff against the Tibaseños, in a last attempt by these clubs to access the “Concachampions”.
These are the probabilities of what could happen in the series between Alajuelense and Comunicaciones in the Concacaf Central American Cup. (X from Concacaf)
Tiebreaker criteria for quarterfinals, semifinals, playoffs and final in the Central American Cup
- Most goals scored as visitors in regulation time in the two games.
- Extra times. Here the visiting goal no longer applies and in this instance a sixth change may be made.
- Penalty shots.
Determination of the host in second leg matches per round
- Quarter finals: The group winners will host the return matches.
- Semifinals and playoffs: The clubs with the most points accumulated in the group stage and quarterfinals will close the series at home.
- Final: The team with the most points accumulated after the group stage, quarterfinals and semifinals will close at home.
In the event of a tie in points, these would be the criteria:
- Better goal difference.
- Greater number of goals converted.
- Most goals scored as a visitor.
- Greater number of victories.
- Most wins as a visitor.
- Less amount of points accumulated in cards received, taking into account that a yellow card gives one point, expulsion for a double warning gives three points, a straight red card means four points and a yellow card plus a straight red card means five points.
These are the prices for the match between Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and Comunicaciones, agreed for Thursday, October 3 at the Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium. (Alajuelense Press)
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