TEGUCIGALPA – Long-time Honduran rivals Olimpia and Motagua are set to meet once again in the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League semifinals, this time with Olimpia serving as the home side at the Estadio Chelato Ucles in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the second leg on Tuesday night.
The two sides played to an intense 0-0 draw in last week’s first leg at the Estadio Chelato Ucles, with scoring chances few and far between.
It marked the second straight match in which Olimpia kept a clean sheet against Motagua in SCL play, the first being a 2-0 win in the 2020 quarterfinals.
Tuesday will be just the third SCL meeting between the two, however there have been 267 all-time meeting in the Liga Nacional de Honduras, with 98 wins for Olimpia, 61 for Motagua and 108 draws.
Motagua have emerged victorious from the last two league encounters, but Olimpia will fancy their chances of getting the job done in front of their fans, considering they have won their last seven home matches in the SCL.
No GK has more saves in the 2022 SCL than Olimpia’s Edrick Menjivar with 29, while going forward the likes of Michaell Chirinos, Brayan Moya and Jerry Bengtson inspire confidence. Chirinos has six career SCL goals and seven assists, Moya has two goals and an assist in the 2022 SCL, while Bengtson has a pair of goals thus far in the tournament.
Three-time runners-up in the SCL, Motagua are hungry to raise their first trophy and will require another top effort from all-time SCL saves (80) and clean sheets (17) leader Jonathan Rougier. Rougier will get a big help from a solid defense led by Carlos Melendez, who had nine clearances in the first leg.
Eddie Hernandez was one of the most active players in the Motagua attack in last week’s first leg with three shots, and this time around he’ll be keen to find the back of the net like he did as a member of Olimpia in previous SCLs with two goals in five games.
Another former Olimpia player, Diego Rodriguez, could prove pivotal as well. Rodriguez completed 73 passes in the first leg and had two shots.
Tuesday October 11, 9:06 PM
Match Officials LD Alajuelense vs Real Espana
Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
AR1 Kyle Atkins (USA) AR2 Logan Brown (USA)
4th Official: Ismel Cornejo (SLV)
Game Notes, Stats CD Olmpia vs FC Motagua