MIAMI, Florida – The 2019 Scotiabank Concacaf League is just around the corner, so to get ready for the tournament, Concacaf.com is looking back on the best matches in SCL history.
We begin with the top five matches from the 2017 SCL.
#3: Santos de Guapiles 0-1 Olimpia
To say that a lot was on the line in this match is an understatement.
It was the second leg of that year’s Final and Costa Rican side Santos carried a 1-0 advantage on aggregate going into that night’s contest at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose.
But staring Santos in the face was Concacaf stalwart Olimpia of Honduras, who was looking to reach the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League for a record 10th consecutive time.
After weathering an early storm from Santos, Olimpia started to find its stride and a strike from Michael Chirinos in the 21st minute evened the tie 1-1.
Olimpia then got some stellar goalkeeping from Donis Escober to fend off a late Santos charge, including two big saves in the final 15 minutes of the match.
The full-time whistle meant the Final would be decided in a penalty shootout, and Olimpia seized upon the opportunity, converting all four of its spot kicks, hile Escober made a key stop on Michael Barquero’s attempt to help lift Olimpia to a 4-1 penalty shootout win, becoming the first club to win the SCL and earning a ticket to the 2018 SCCL.