Comunicaciones and Xelajú MC distributed points this Thursday at the Cementos Progreso Stadium in a first leg match of the Clausura 2026 semifinals that had everything and left the series completely open.
Marco Antonio Figueroa’s Cremas twice took the lead with goals from Omar Duarte in the 55th minute and Karel Espino in the 79th minute, but Xelajú responded on both occasions with goals from Steven Cárdenas in the 68th minute and an own goal from José Carlos Pinto in the 85th minute for the final 2-2. The tie favors the Superchivos heading into Sunday’s second leg at the Mario Camposeco since Xelajú has an advantage in the tiebreaker criteria for having finished as leader of Clausura 2026.
The game started with Comunicaciones dominating the first half without finding the goal despite several dangerous approaches.
The Cremas pressed from the beginning and were the most incisive team in the first 45 minutes, although Xelajú gradually settled down and reached the break without any major upsets with the score at zero. In the second half the script changed radically when Omar Duarte took advantage of a rebound inside the area in the 55th minute to open the scoring and put Comunicaciones ahead in the series.
Xelajú’s reaction was immediate. In the 68th minute, Steven Cárdenas received a filtered pass from Cardoza and scored with precision to tie the score at 1-1, returning balance to a series that promised to continue with emotions. Comunicaciones took the lead again in the 79th minute when Karel Espino converted a penalty taken after a handball by Raúl Calderón to make it 2-1, but in the 85th minute came the hardest blow for the Cremas when José Carlos Pinto tried to cut off a center from Raúl Calderón and deflected the ball into his own goal for the final 2-2 that left the series tied before the second leg.
The tie favors Xelajú
With the aggregate tied 2-2, the tiebreaker favors Xelajú MC for having finished as the leader of Clausura 2026 with 39 points, which means that if the series remains tied at the end of the second leg, the Superchivos would advance to the final.
This forces Comunicaciones to win the second leg on Sunday at the Mario Camposeco to advance, while Xelajú will only need to draw to qualify for the grand final of Clausura 2026.
The second leg will be played this Sunday, May 10 at the Mario Camposeco Stadium in Quetzaltenango, where the superchiva fans promise to create a spectacular atmosphere to support their team in the search for the final.
Comunicaciones will have to win in one of the most difficult scenarios in the National League to stay alive in the tournament, while Xelajú will arrive with the confidence of playing at home and with the advantage of the tiebreaker criteria in its favor in what promises to be one of the most exciting matches in the Clausura 2026 league.