CARTAGO – Herediano are on their way to the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup after earning a dramatic 3-2 victory over Comunicaciones in the second leg of the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night at the Estadio Jose Rafael Fello Meza in Cartago, Costa Rica.
Down 2-0 in the early stages of the second stanza, Comunicaciones stormed back to make it 2-2 heading into second half stoppage time, but Fernan Faerron scored in the waning minutes, sending Herediano to the semifinals and earning them a place in the 2024 Champions Cup with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Comunicaciones will look to regroup and qualify for the 2024 Champions Cup via the Central American Cup Play-In.
Herediano got just the start they wanted, taking a 1-0 lead in the 24’ though Angel Sayago’s penalty conversion. It started with Herediano’s Everardo Rubio hammering a shot off the crossbar, with the ensuing rebound leading to a mad scramble and Sayago getting fouled in the area.
Comunicaciones looked to battle back and came within an inch of pulling level in the 42’ when Jorman Aguilar headed onto the post off a corner kick.
Herediano reasserted their control at the start of the second half and picked up a massive second goal in the 51’ with some intricate passing in the Comunicaciones area that ended with Elias Aguilar slipping a pass into Sayago, who finished with aplomb for a 2-0 Herediano advantage.
But an absolute stunner got Comunicaciones back into the mix in the 55’, as a quick restart in the middle of the field saw Jose Corena shoot from just inside the halfway line, firing a shot that sailed over Herediano GK Aaron Cruz and into net to cut the gap to 2-1.
The visiting Guatemalans were then able to pull level 2-2 in the 76’ when a clearance fell perfectly for Erik Gonzalez, who hit a low shot through a sea of legs and past Cruz, giving Comunicaciones the crucial away goal tiebreaker.
It made for a grandstand finish with Herediano throwing all numbers forward, and just when it looked like Comunicaciones would hold on, Fernan Faerron made the decisive play in stoppage time, rising high to meet a free kick with a header that he directed into net to give Herediano the 3-2 triumph.
