The Ecuadorian forward Juan Anangonó gave this Tuesday the first title in its history in 38 years to Communications of Guatemala after scoring a treble against the Motagua Honduras and defeat it 4-2 (6-3 on aggregate) in the final of the Concacaf League.
The victory allowed the Guatemalan club, led by Uruguayan coach William Coito Olivera, to win its first international final since 1983, when the Central American Football Union (Uncaf) interclub tournament was accredited.
Ecuadorian Anangonó’s annotations arrived at minute 37, with a header, and at minute 45, when he finished off a corner kick after a series of rebounds in the Motagua area, decreeing a momentary 2-2 draw.
The Honduran Junior Lacayo, who entered the second half, scored 3-2 for Comunicaciones at minute 54 and Anangono crowned his hat-trick at 66 with his third personal goal, when he pushed a cross into goal that the Honduran defense could not clear, causing the debacle of the whole catracho.
This is how Comunicaciones seized on Tuesday night the title of the Concacaf League, which brings together the best teams from Central America, the Caribbean and Canada, and which distributes six tickets to the Northern Confederation Champions League, Central America and the Caribbean Soccer (Concacaf).
Motagua started with great intensity and at minute 4 he scored the first goal of the match, through Paraguayan Roberto Moreira, who headed a cross from Kevin López’s right.
Moreira had already scored the only goal for Comunicaciones in the first leg of the final, played a week ago in Honduras, when Motagua lost at home to the Guatemalans.
The blue cyclone, as Motagua is known in Honduras, continued to press and after 27 minutes he scored the second goal, with another header inside the area of Marco Tulio Vega, which deflected a Communications defender towards the bottom of his arc to score the goal. 0-2.
Local reaction half an hour into the game
The result left Motagua as champions of the tournament, but the local team reacted after half an hour of play, in front of some 5,000 spectators at the Doroteo Guamuch Flores stadium in Guatemala City.
After a series of attacks, Comunicaciones managed to discount on the scoreboard with Anangono, who had also scored a week ago in the first leg. The Ecuadorian, in his first season in Guatemala, made his double in the 46th and gave Comunicaciones the peace of mind to face the rest of the clash.
In the second half, the Uruguayan coach at the head of the Guatemalans had Lacayo enter for Oscar Santis and Rodrigo Saravia for Karel Espino, and Comunicaciones had more strength in the attack. That was how the goals from Lacayo and Anangonó arrived, which allowed Comunicaciones to lift the Champion’s Cup in front of their fans.
To be crowned the 2021 Concacaf League Champion, Comunicaciones beat Guastatoya, also from Guatemala, in the semifinal and left Saprissa of Costa Rica on the road in the quarterfinals.
In addition, in the round of 16 against Alianza de El Salvador and in the preliminary round they beat 11 Deportivo, also from El Salvador.
Comunicaciones joined the other winners of the four previous editions of the Concacaf League with the scepter: Olimpia from Honduras (2017), Herediano from Costa Rica (2018), Saprissa from Costa Rica (2019) and Alajuelense, also from Costa Rica (2020).
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