SAN PEDRO SULA – It was a night for the two goalkeepers, as Honduran side Motagua and
Pachuca of Liga MX played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf
Champions League Round of 16 on Thursday night at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in
San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Motagua shot-stopper Jonathan Rougier registered seven saves on the night, while
counterpart Oscar Ustari of Pachuca was just as good at the other end with two saves and
several crucial interventions.
It was an energetic start, with each side keen to get forward and create chances deep in their
opponent’s half, including a header from Motagua’s Lucas Campana that was saved by Ustari,
but it took until the 44’ for the first major scoring chance of the night.
A ball was filtered into Pachuca’s Roberto De La Rosa down the right wing, with the Tuzos
man in position to score, however Rougier had other ideas and made the save.
The Rougier block yielded back-to-back chances for the Tuzos to try to capitalize on, but on
each the Motagua defense turned the shot away to keep things scoreless going into halftime.
The chances were starting to mount for both, including Pachuca’s Marino Hinestroza firing wide
in the 48’, Motagua’s Gaspar Triverio hooking a shot wide in the 51’ and a sensational
individual run from Campana in the 55’ that ended with a shot wide.
Ustari was called into action again just shy of the hour mark with a diving save to deny Eddie
Hernandez’s header. Back at the other end it was Rougier staying alert and making a save in
the 78’ on a tricky, bouncing effort from Cristian Arango.
No goals were to be found on a night in which the men in net were at their finest, leaving things
wide open for next week’s return leg in Mexico.
