It just ain’t fair!

While Saturday’s “classic” soccer game between Saprissa and Alajuela got all the hype, Sunday’s game between Perez Zeledon and Cartago was, according to La Nacion veteran sportwriter Roberto Garcia, “the best played game I’ve seen in recent years.”

And it had more impact on the standings, since Cartago, the leader in its group of the first division, picked up only a point toward the national championship and not the three it would have had with a victory. And it was decided with but four minutes to go on a penalty kick by Perez Zeledon’s Tirso Guia.

Scoring went like this: In the first half, Perez Zeldon opened with a goal by Windell Gabriel on a pass by Luis Miguel Gallardo. The “warriors of the south,” as Perez Z bills itself, added to the advantage with another goal by Gabriel, thanks to fine play by Luis Lara.

Richard Mahoney for Catago narrowed the gap on a header from Francisco Alfaro. Then Alfaro sank one on a penalty to tie, 2-2. This set the stage for Guio’s breaker.

Perez Zeledon has been the perpetual bridesmaid in recent years in the First Division, but the fact that they can’t ever be counted out is a sign that soccer in Costa Rica is no longer a matter of Alajuela vs. Saprissa. The First Division is uniformly stronger and one can no longer talk of “upsets” and “surprises.” Every game is a tough win.