Xelajú MC began its participation in the 2026 Central American Cup with a defeat on July 29, losing 1-0 to Liga Deportiva Alajuelense at the Alejandro Morera Soto stadium, in a match that changed completely after the break.
During the first half, the team led by Roberto Hernández managed to balance the game and generated the most dangerous approaches.
Steven Cárdenas tested goalkeeper Washington Ortega just in the 3rd minute and, later, Jairo López and Raúl Calderón also worried the red and black goal. Alajuelense responded with a shot from Diego Chacón in the 34th minute, but found an organized opponent that limited their offensive options.
The match remained balanced during the first 45 minutes. Xelajú maintained its defensive order and forced the current Central American champion to play a much closer match than expected before the break.
However, the situation changed in the second half.
Coach Ismael Rescalvo adjusted his team since the restart with the additions of Celso Borges and Fernando Piñar. The variations gave greater control of the midfield and allowed Alajuelense to play increasingly closer to the rival area. Between minutes 50 and 63, the Costa Rican team chained a series of arrivals with Kevin Michel, Ronaldo Cisneros, Jeison Lucumí, Jorman Añor and Borges himself, while Xelajú was giving ground to protect its partial advantage.
Goalkeeper Mario Álvarez sustained the tie with several worthy interventions during the period of greatest pressure from the local team, but the insistence ended up finding its reward.
In the 75th minute, Ronaldo Cisneros scored the only goal of the match and broke a tie that Xelajú had defended for more than an hour.
After the goal, the team from Alajuelense tried to react with the contributions of Daniel Casas, Edwin Cardoza, Héctor Quezada and Ángel López, but only managed to cause concern with a shot by Casas in the 81st minute. Alajuelense managed the advantage until the final whistle.
The statistics reflected the development of the commitment. The Costa Rican team finished with 54% of the possession, four shots on goal compared to three by Xelajú and a passing accuracy of 89%, higher than the 83% of the Guatemalan champion. Although the expected goals were similar (0.63 versus 0.50), Alajuelense maintained the pressure for a good part of the complement until finding the difference.
Although they started without points in Group A, Xelajú showed for a good part of the match that they can compete against one of the tournament’s favorites. The Altense team will seek to recover on August 11, when they visit Plaza Amador, in a duel that could be decisive in staying in the fight for qualification positions to the next phase.
Keys to the match
- Alajuelense managed the advantage and began its participation in Group A of the Central American Cup with a victory.
- Xelajú balanced the game and generated the most dangerous approaches during the first half.
- Alajuelense modified the match with the arrivals of Celso Borges and Fernando Piñar after the break.
- Mario Álvarez prevented the goal with several interventions during the best moment of the Costa Rican team.
- Ronaldo Cisneros scored the only goal of the match in the 75th minute.
Positions | Group A
- Diriangén FC – 3 pts (+2)
- Alajuelense – 3 pts (+1)
- LA Firpo – 0 pts (0 PJ)
- Xelajú MC – 0 pts (-1)
- Plaza Amador – 0 pts (-2)