Match Report
Alajuelense went into the game 1st in the table on 40 points; Cartaginés sat 3rd on 28 — a 12-point gap. Alajuelense ranked just 8th in the league on five-round form despite their 1st table position. Scoring rates set the scale: Alajuelense 1.61 scored and 0.56 conceded per game, Cartaginés 1.06 and 0.67, with the league averaging 1.24.
Defeat had followed defeat for Alajuelense — three in succession.
The head-to-head ledger counts 13 games: 7 Alajuelense wins, 2 for Cartaginés, 4 draws, at 1.62 goals per meeting. More than two goals is the exception here — seen in 15% of meetings.
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, capacity 17,895, hosted the game. Alajuelense led 2-0 at the break — the second half brought no more goals and it finished 2-0.
Goal scorers
Alajuelense: Santiago van der Putten (13'), Kenneth Vargas (9')
Key stats
Possession: Alajuelense 48% · Cartaginés 52% · Total shots: 12-15 · On target: 4-3 · Corners: 4-11