by Rod Hughes

They call a Saprissa-Alajuela game a “classico” but Sunday’s soccer match between the two sides was somewhat a disappointment for both, a 0-0 tie. Saprissa went in with an 11-game streak of classics without loss and Alajuela was eager to break the enchantment.

While Alajuela left the pitch with a certain relief not to have lost in Tibas’s Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, their opponents could have been mistaken for beaten warriors as they slouched off the grass with long faces. Perhaps they were feeling the weight of having to meet this same team later this month in a two-match semifinal series for the right to fight out the finals of the UNCAF international tourney.

Saprissa managed to control the ball more but their speed was imprecise while Alajuela played like old maids in a poker game, quite defensive and timid.

Santos, playing on its home pitch in Guapiles, tied Liberia 0-0 also, but the not all the frustration was on the Santos side. Liberia has had some bad experiences with Santos this season, but the Guanacaste side is getting better and felt they could well win. In the first half, Santos goalie Pablo Camacho had a real workout but in the second, Liberia’s attack slacked off.

Some shrewd dealing resulting in the purchase of name players like Allan Aleman has strengthened Liberia and its effects should begin showing them the way out of the cellar.