Deportivo Saprissa secured their spot in the final of the CONCACAF Champion's Cup on Wednesday, beating Houston Dynamo 3-0 in a match the Costa Rican side dominated from start to finish.
However, as impressive as the men in purple were, MLS Cup champion Houston was disappointing and, missing four first team regulars, never looked like it could snatch victory.
The result and the performance will leave the Texans ruing their inability to kill off “El Monstruo,” as Saprissa is known, in the first leg, which ended in a 0-0 draw despite their superiority that night.
In addition to the success on the pitch, there was relief for authorities off it as the game passed off without any crowd trouble. CONCACAF had ordered the Tibás-based side to tighten security at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium following an incident in the quarterfinal tie against Atlante on March 20, when an object hurled from the crowd struck a visiting player.
The result means that Saprissa is still on course for a fourth title, having won the tournament in 1993, 1995 and 2005. The winner of the competition will be invited to the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup.
In the other semifinal, defending champions Pachuca CF of Mexico endured some nervous moments at the end before securing their final spot. Despite a 2-1 loss Wednesday to D.C. United in Washington, D.C., the Mexican side's 2-0 home victory last week gave them a 3-2 aggregate score to advance them to the finals.
Read today's print or digital edition of The Tico Times for a recap of the action in Wednesday's game and stay tuned for more coverage of the April 23 and 30 CONCACAF Champions Cup finals. |
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