INTERNACIONAL :Liga dos Campeões da CONCACAF | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22:05 | Term. | 5-2 | (3-1) | + Estatísticas LD Alajuelense x DC United | |||
Alajuelense tops D.C. United, nears semifinal spot
Ariel Rodriguez (center) celebrates after converting a penalty kick in Alajuelense's Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal win over visiting D.C. United on February 26, 2015, in Alajuela, Costa Rica. (Photo: Imagenes en Costa Rica)
ALAJUELA, Costa Rica -- Jose Ortiz scored twice to help Alajuelense to a 5-2 win over visiting D.C. United on Thursday in the opener of their Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) quarterfinal.
Ariel Rodriguez and Johan Venegas added first-half goals at the Estadio Alejandro Morero Soto, while Jonathan McDonald also struck, giving the Costa Rican side a significant advantage ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg.
Fabian Espindola and Steve Birnbaum scored for D.C., which will need at least a three-goal victory in next Wednesday’s second leg to avoid elimination.
The host capitalized on a pair by errors by goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra, who started in place of injured regular Bill Hamid.
Dykstra started brightly, saving Venegas’ header in the opening seconds, before thwarting Ortiz with a diving stop.
His mistimed challenge on Armando Alonso at the edge of the area, however, forced referee Roberto Garcia to point to the spot. Ariel Rodriguez converted the 15th minute penalty, powering his shot beyond Dykstra’s reach.
Ortiz doubled the lead seven minutes later, when he reached Johan Venegas’ through ball completely unmarked and slotted a cool finish home.
Espindola got D.C. United on the scoreboard in the 24th minute, heading his third goal of the competition over goalkeeper Dexter Lewis after reaching Chris Pontius’ knock-on header.
Alajuelense restored its two-goal lead in the 27th minute. Dykstra failed to corral a low cross from the left at the edge of the six-yard box, which granted Venegas an easy finish.
Nine minutes into the second half, Ortiz netted his second goal. Alonso found the 22-year-old forward with a feed that allowed him to drive a low, dipping attempt underneath Dykstra’s dive.
Birnbaum pulled back what appeared a crucial second away goal with a ferocious header of Espindola’s cross in the 88th minute.
McDonald punctuated the scoreline in the last minute of normal time with his fifth career SCCL goal.
NOTES: Alajuelense set a new team record for most goals scored in a SCCL match, surpassing the four it netted against Motagua in 2011 … D.C. United conceded only three goals in its previous eight SCCL matches.
Peralta nets brace as Club America tops Saprissa
Oribe Peralta (pictured) scored two goals in Club America's 3-0 win over host Saprissa in the first leg of their Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series on February 25, 2015, in San Jose, Costa Rica. (Photo: Mexsport)
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Club America scored three times within a six-minute span late in the match to post a stunning 3-0 away victory over Saprissa in the first leg of their Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) quarterfinal series on Wednesday.
Second-half substitutes tallied for the Mexican club. Oribe Peralta netted in the 81st and 85th minutes after Pablo Aguilar broke the ice at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa.
Saprissa's SCCL home unbeaten streak was snapped at seven games (6-1-0), while Club America has conceded one goal or fewer in each of its nine competition outings.
The host failed to convert on several chances in the second half before the visitors took control during the stretch run.
Aguilar opened the scoring in the 79th minute, heading home from six-yards out off a Rubens Sambueza’s right-wing feed.
Only two minutes later, Peralta burst into action. The 2013 CONCACAF Player of the Year gave the Aguilas some breathing room as he knocked Carlos Darwin Quintero’s pass beyond goalkeeper Dany Carvajal from 12 yards.
With five minutes left in normal time, Peralta put an exclamation point on the match as he latched onto a thorough ball from captain Paul Aguilar and handily beat Carvajal from 12-yards out.
The first half was defined by physical play. Referee Mark Geiger handed out three yellow cards within the opening 32 minutes.
Paul Aguilar had Club America's best chance in the opening half when his shot ricocheted off the right post in the 45th minute.
Saprissa came out on fire in the second half, but could not find the back of the net. Daniel Colindres went 1 v 1 with goalkeeper Moises Munoz in the first 15 seconds, only to place his close-range shot wide right.
A little more than a minute later, Ariel Rodriguez – who has five SCCL goals -- made some nifty moves to release a shot that crashed off the right post.
Club America will host the second leg with a commanding lead on March 4 at the Estadio Azteca.
NOTES: Peralta moved into a second-place tie with teammate Carlos Darwin Quintero for the most goals in SCCL history at 17 each … Quintero scored all of his SCCL goals while playing for Santos ... Javier Orozco is the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 24 goals, all while with Cruz Azul.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
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