ESTELÍ, Nicaragua – Real Estelí FC won 2-1 against CD Águila in the first leg of their quarterfinal’s series in the 2024 Central American Cup on Wednesday at the Estadio Independencia in Estelí, Nicaragua.
The match presented a milestone for the competition as the 100th match in the history of the Central American Cup.
Águila took an early lead in the 4’, with Blas Sosa scoring for the visitors with a header inside the box. The goal came from a cross by Santos Ortíz.
Juan Vieyra had a good chance for Estelí in the 16’, but his long-distance attempt was just above the crossbar.
Vieyra was successful with another long-range attempt minutes after, equalizing in the 20’ with a right-footed drive to the first post.
Estelí completed the comeback in the 37’ with a strike from Byron Bonilla off a free-kick opportunity on the left side of the pitch. The goal increased Bonilla’s team-leading tally to four goal contributions in the competition.
The hosts went down a man before the half when Óscar Acevedo was shown a red card in the 40’.
Estelí came close to extending its lead in the second half with several dangerous attempts in the final minutes, but the 2-1 scoreline remained unmoved to maintain the lead in the first match of the series.
Real Estelí and Águila will meet in the second leg next Wednesday at the Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, El Salvador. The winner, on aggregate, will advance to the semifinals and earn a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
