CARTAGO, Costa Rica – Making a comeback will be on the mind of Costa Rican club Cartagines when they square off with Real Espana of Honduras in the second leg of the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League Round of 16 on Thursday night at the Estadio Jose Rafael Meza in Cartago, Costa Rica.
The Ticos suffered a 2-0 defeat in the first leg last week in Honduras, but a quick start on Thursday for Cartagines could make for a memorable night for the SCL debutants.
This series is just the latest in the long head-to-head battle between clubs from Honduras and Costa Rica in the SCL, with Honduran clubs holding a slim 6W-2D-5L edge.
Cartagines would like nothing more than to even that all-time series and do it in decisive fashion to advance to the next round.
It will not be easy against a Real Espana side that boasts one of the hottest strikers in the Concacaf region in Ramiro Rocca, who has three goals in the 2022 SCL, including the opening score in last week’s first leg, giving him four career SCL goals, the most of any Argentine player.
Jhow Benavidez is another to keep an eye on, having completed 172 passes thus far in the 2022 SCL, while Franklin Flores was the playmaker who helped set up Jose Alejandro Reyes’ goal in last week’s 2-0 Real Espana win.
Cartagines will look to counter with the likes of Jeikel Venegas and Marcel Hernandez, who were the only players to register a shot last week.
William Quiros proved to be a workhorse in midfield in making three ball recoveries, while Kevin Briceno, who had two saves and three clearances in the first leg, will need a big performance in net to help his side through.
Match Officials
Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador)
AR1: David Morán (El Salvador) AR2: Zachari Zee Gelaar (Suriname)
4th Official: Filiberto Martínez (El Salvador)
Game Notes, Stats CS Cartagines vs Real Espana