PANAMA CITY – Alajuelense of Costa Rica are poised to nail down a berth in the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League quarterfinals when they take on Panama’s Alianza in the second leg of their 2022 Round of 16 series on Thursday night at the Estadio Universitario in Penonome, Panama.
The 2020 SCL champions picked up a commanding 5-0 victory in the first leg on the strength of a Doryan Rodriguez hat trick, while 2020 SCL Golden Ball winner Alexander Lopez and Jose Miguel Cubero also chipped in with scores.
The result improved Costa Rica’s record against Panamanian opposition in the SCL to an impressive 12W-1D-1L.
The aforementioned Rodriguez and Lopez will be keen to add to their totals, but so will all-time SCL top scorer Johan Venegas, who has 14 goals in 13 career SCL matches.
Another player to watch for the visitors is DF Aubrey David, who leads the team in the 2022 SCL with 97 percent of passes completed.
Rallying from a 5-0 deficit is a tall task for any side, let alone an SCL debutant, but there are plenty of positives that can be had for the Canalero club. If they manage to find the back of the net, it would mark their first ever SCL goal.
GK Kevin Melgar was kept active in the first leg in making seven saves, so the home side’s shot-stopper hopes to be less busy in the second leg.
Both Alexander Gonzalez and Angel Valencia can help on that front. Gonzalez had six ball recoveries in the first leg, while Valencia had four ball recoveries and completed 57 passes.
Match Officials:
Referee: Drew Fischer (Canada)
AR1: Christopher Wattam (Canada) AR2: Lyles Arfa (Canada)
4th Official: Pierre Luc Lauziere (Canada)
Stats, Game Notes Alianza FC vs LD Alajuelense