MIAMI, Florida – CA Independiente of Panama and Nicaragua’s Real Esteli will renew acquaintances in the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup on Thursday night in the first leg of the semifinals at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City, Panama.
These two teams were foes in the group stage during which CAI emerged with a 2-1 victory over Real Esteli on matchday four of Group B.
Carlos Small was one of the goal scorers on the night for CAI and he has gone on to produce a magical tournament, scoring five goals to tie Motagua’s Agustin Auzmendi for the tournament lead.
Small also had a brace in the second leg of their 2-0 quarterfinal victory versus Motagua, so the knockout stage has been kind to the striker.
The same can be said for Hector Hurtado and Jorge Serrano. Hurtado has 300 passes in the tournament and a whopping 16 ball recoveries, while Serrano leads the team in fouls drawn with 19. He also has a pair of goals and an assist to his name.
Real Esteli have been exceptional in this Central American Cup and could make history by reaching their first ever Concacaf final. The first step would be getting a positive result in Panama, and after earning a 2-2 draw away at Saprissa in the quarterfinals, there is no reason to think that Real Esteli cannot get the job done.
GK Douglas Forvis has been very solid with four clean sheets, while Ebert Martinez has made 35 clearances and has 16 ball recoveries in the back. Going forward, the tandem of Juan Barrera and Harold Medina has been very effective, as they have combined for three goals and two assists.
Referees Real Esteli FC (NCA) vs Club Atletico Independiente (PAN))
REF: JUAN GABRIEL CALDERON (Costa Rica)
AR1: JUAN CARLOS MORA (Costa Rica)
AR2: WILLIAM ARRIETA (Costa Rica)
4TH: BENJAMIN PINEDA (Costa Rica)
