Saprissa Moves On, Puntarenas Out
Note: We would like to apologize for the tardiness of this report, written much earlier but delayed by technical problems.
by Rod Hughes
Puntarenas fans are grieving because they thought their soccer team could. Coming fresh from a good shellacking of Saprissa in Costa Rica’s first Division Sunday, they were all but certain they could get past Saprissa and move on in the UNCAF soccer tourney.
But it was not to happen, partly because the three forward system, old fashioned as it seemed, had worked well with Saprissa last Sunday. But in the first half, it did not work at all. Late in the first half Sapriss’s Alonso SolÃs drew first blood with the help of Gabriel Badilla. Puntarenas did not tie until minute 69 on a shot by Eduardo GomezAt minute 83, despite revived second half play by the port city, Saprissa’s Armando Alonso, assisted by Jairo Arrieta (who had replaced Alejandro Alpizar only three minutes earlier) drove in the deciding goal. It was 2-1, Saprissa’s ticket to the semifinals.
Saprissa has its eye on the championship and a slot at the World Cup for soccer clubs, but it seemed a long way away when they struggled against a revived Puntarenas offense.