GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Nicaraguan club Diriangen won their first ever Scotiabank Concacaf League match with a 1-0 victory over reigning champions Comunicaciones of Guatemala in the first leg of the 2022 SCL Round of 16 on Tuesday night at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Diriangen had never even earned a point in their previous four SCL matches, but a first half goal from Ramiro Peters, combined with a monumental defensive effort, led to the history-making result for the Pinoleros.
It was all Comunicaciones at the start, but they were not able to find a way through the Diriangen defense through the first half-hour.
The visiting Nicaraguans began to grow with belief and that increased tenfold in the 34’ on a counterattack when Robinson Da Silva found the streaking Peters, who fired a shot that banged in off the post and into net for a 1-0 Diriangen lead.
Comunicaciones came out for the second half playing with more urgency, yet equal to the task was the Diriangen defense, whose resistance proved too strong for the home side.
The Cremas mounted the pressure by committing numbers forward and an equalizer nearly came through in the 74’ on a Kevin Lopez free kick from long-range that forced a big save for Diriangen GK Justo Llorente.
⚽ ¡Gol de @Diriangen_FC!
— Concacaf (@Concacaf) August 17, 2022
Ramiro Peters abre el marcador del partido. | #SCL22 pic.twitter.com/Yq4AIZ5q0Y
It was nearly the same story seven minutes later when another hard hit from Lopez had Llorente going to ground to make the save.
For all their efforts, though, the reigning champions were never able to find that finishing touch, as Diriangen calmly saw out the remaining minutes to clinch a win that will go down in club lore.
