Sporting San Jose — Deportivo Saprissa: 4:2, Primera División
Primera División
Sporting San JoseW18 Aug · Home Escorpiones Belén · 2:0W23 Aug · Away CS Herediano · 3:0W29 Aug · Home Inter San Carlos · 2:0L7 Sep · Away San Carlos · 0:1W13 Sep · Home Deportivo Saprissa · 4:2W19 Sep · Away Perez Zeledon · 2:1
4:2
Finished
Kick-off was
BST
Deportivo SaprissaW31 Aug · Home Escorpiones Belén · 2:1W6 Sep · Away LD Alajuelense · 2:0D10 Sep · Home CS Cartaginés · 2:2L13 Sep · Away Sporting San Jose · 2:4L17 Sep · Away CS Cartaginés · 2:3W20 Sep · Home CS Herediano · 2:0
In the Primera División game on 13 September 2026, Sporting San Jose beat Deportivo Saprissa 4:2. Match numbers: shots on target 9:2, corners 7:4.
Match report
Sporting San José came from behind to defeat Saprissa 4-2 in the Apertura round eight of the Primera División on Saturday evening. The hosts took a two-goal lead before the visitors rallied, but a late response from A. Rodriguez sealed the win. We had backed Sporting for the victory at 43 per cent confidence, and the result vindicated that assessment. It was not a match decided by possession or shots on target, but by three or four decisive moments.
G. Leiva opened the scoring in the second minute, and A. Soto doubled the advantage just before the half-hour mark. Y. Salas added a third in the thirtieth minute before M. George Clayton converted a penalty for Saprissa in the forty-second. Leiva restored the two-goal cushion in the sixty-second minute, and the visitors briefly thought they had levelled when J. Pinto's goal was disallowed by video review in the sixty-eighth. A. Rodriguez's goal in the eighty-second minute ended any hopes of a comeback.
And here's the thing — the statistics tell a different story from what happened on the pitch. Sporting dominated the attacking exchanges with 87 attacks to 73, but possession was essentially even at 49 per cent to 51. The hosts registered nine shots on target compared to two for Saprissa, yet the visitors managed to stay in the game through resilience rather than dominance. By then, the match had already been decided by those early goals.
Sporting San José remain in third place with 14 points from eight games, while Saprissa stay second on 18 points. The result means the gap between them is four points with two rounds remaining. Saprissa have now lost two of their eight matches, and this adds to a pattern that has seen them drop points in away fixtures. Sporting's unbeaten run in domestic competition extends to three matches after this victory.
Both managers made changes around the hour mark, with Sporting bringing on K. Arboine for Leiva in the sixty-sixth minute. Saprissa substituted A. Soto and M. George Clayton in the seventy-seventh minute, while Y. Salas came off in stoppage time for Sporting. The yellow cards were distributed evenly, with two for the hosts and three for the visitors. The result means Sporting take a step toward closing the gap on the league leaders.
Prepared from match data
Key numbers
Possession, %49–51
Shots on target9–2
Shots off target6–3
Attacks87–73
HT⚽2' G. Leiva — Goal⚽28' A. Soto — Goal⚽30' Y. Salas — Goal🟨33' A. Chevez — Yellow card🟨41' J. M. Azofeifa Rivas — Yellow card⚽42' M. George Clayton — Penalty⇄46' A. Gonzalez — Substitution⇄46' J. Carvajal — Substitution⇄46' M. Elizondo — Substitution⚽62' G. Leiva — Goal⇄66' G. Leiva — Substitution⇄66' K. Arboine — Substitution68' J. Pinto — var_goal_cancelled🟨75' A. Soto — Yellow card⇄77' A. Soto — Substitution⇄77' M. George Clayton — Substitution⇄77' J. Mendez — Substitution⚽82' A. Rodriguez — Goal🟨85' G. Torres — Yellow card🟨88' F. Escobar — Yellow card⇄90+1' Y. Salas — Substitution
W18 Aug · Home Escorpiones Belén · 2:0W23 Aug · Away CS Herediano · 3:0W29 Aug · Home Inter San Carlos · 2:0L7 Sep · Away San Carlos · 0:1W13 Sep · Home Deportivo Saprissa · 4:2W19 Sep · Away Perez Zeledon · 2:1
