In an intense and played in the midfield, Municipal managed to impose itself by the minimum (1-0) against Xelajú Mc at the Manuel Felipe Carrera stadium. The afternoon hero was Pedro Altánwho just a minute after entering the field, scored the goal that gave the victory to the scarlets and returned them to the first place of the table.
From the start, the encounter was raised as a tactical battle. Xelajú, current champion, did not let himself be intimidated by the local and presented a strong defense that blocked the offensive attempts of the Reds. The Altense team opted for order and pressure in the midfield, hindering the ball circulation of those led by José Saturnino Cardozo.
Municipal, on the other hand, tried to impose conditions, but it was difficult to generate clear occasions in the first half. Despite having greater possession, the red team did not find the depth necessary to break the chiva rear, which led to the first half closing with a goalless draw and with few emotions in the areas.
For the second half, Cardozo moved his pieces and made a key change: Pedro Altán entered And, in his first intervention in the game, he found the network. At minute 46with just a minute on the court, Altán took advantage of a ball inside the area and defined precisely to defeat the rival goalkeeper and put the 1-0 in favor of the premises.
The goal was a mood blow for Xelajú, who tried to react, but continued without finding the spaces to generate real danger in the red area. Municipal, on the other hand, was solid in defense and handled the game intelligence, preventing goals from finding the tie.
With the passage of the minutes, the game became even more disputed in the midfield, with many interruptions and little fluency in the game. Xelajú opted for long -distance centers and auctions, but the scarlet rear and goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez responded safely to maintain the advantage until the end.
With this victory, Municipal reaches 24 pointsone below Imperial Cobán. The reds continue to show regularity and now depend on themselves to stay at the top.
For Xelajú, defeat represents a blow to its aspirations to climb positions. The current champions have had an irregular tournament and need to urgently add if they want to defend their crown in the final phase.
Municipal, on the other hand, celebrates a key victory in its struggle for the title and is now preparing for its next challenges, with the confidence of being at the top of the table and with the motivation to continue adding important points.