Municipal sealed its ticket to the semifinals of Clausura 2026 this Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Guastatoya at the Manuel Felipe Carrera El Trébol Stadium, closing the series with a resounding 3-0 aggregate that left no doubt about the superiority of the red team in the two games.
Mario Acevedo’s Reds resolved the match with goals from Jefry Bantes in the 24th minute and Alejandro Cabeza in the 84th, in a performance that confirms Municipal’s solidity as one of the favorites for the Clausura 2026 title.
The match started with Guastatoya aware of the need to score quickly to have a chance of a comeback, but it was Municipal who struck first. In the 24th minute, César Calderón returned a cross to the far post and Jefry Bantes appeared to define the 1-0 that definitively complicated the aspirations of the Yellow Chest, who from that moment needed three goals to tie the series. Guastatoya goalkeeper Jordy Cifuentes made several important interventions to maintain the score for much of the match, including a double save at the end of the first half that prevented the Reds’ second.
In the second half the game fell into a slump with few emotions, with Municipal satisfied with the result and Guastatoya without ideas to generate the necessary danger. The second goal came in the 84th minute when Pedro Altán enabled Alejandro Cabeza, who scored alone to score the final 2-0 and celebrated by shutting up those who had questioned his performance, thus closing a series in which the Yellow Breasts were never able to overcome the disadvantage of the first leg.
Municipal to semi-finals
With the classification confirmed, Municipal advances to the semifinals of Clausura 2026 where it will meet its rival after the result of the match between Xelajú MC and Marquense that will also be played this Sunday at the Mario Camposeco.
The Reds reach the next phase as one of the most solid teams in the tournament, although with the significant loss of José Carlos Martínez due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, who underwent surgery this Saturday and will be out for several months.
Guastatoya, who arrived in the league having saved the category on the last day and in the midst of the controversial resignation of his coach Pablo Centrone, closes his participation in the Clausura 2026 with his head held high despite the elimination. The Yellow Breasts showed character in a complicated season and will now have to reorganize for Apertura 2026 with a new technical project that will allow them to compete more solidly in the following season.
