Malacateco did not give up. Los Toros rescued a 1-1 draw against Cobán Imperial at the Santa Lucía stadium at the close of the first day of the 2026 Apertura Tournament thanks to a goal by Roberto Meneses in the 85th minute that prevented defeat for the locals in a match where Cobán had been more effective despite having less possession of the ball.
The first half was dominated by Malacateco, who had control of the game from the first minutes but without clearly managing to bother goalkeeper Tomás Casas. Cobán opted for an orderly defensive block and high pressure at the beginning, waiting for his opportunity to hit the counterattack.
Coban’s goal came in the 37th minute when Brian Calabrese took a cross shot that Kenneth Valdez finished off to make it 1-0. It was practically the only clear arrival of the Princes of the North in the first half but they took advantage of it perfectly to go into the break with an advantage.
Malacateco looked for the tie
In the second half, Malacateco came out with everything in search of an equalizer with several offensive changes that gave it greater depth in the attack. The Toros came in danger on several occasions but Casas responded with key interventions to maintain Coban’s advantage for much of the complement.
Cobán defended with order and coolness for most of the second half but could not sustain the result until the end. In the 85th minute, Roberto Meneses found the tying goal for the locals who had insisted throughout the entire complement without finding a way to the visiting goal.
The final tie left both teams with one point each at the start of Apertura 2026 in what was a fair result for Malacateco, which dominated the match, but unfair for Cobán Imperial, which had been more effective and was close to taking the three points from the Santa Lucía stadium in its tournament debut under the direction of Ramiro Cepeda.