Antigua GFC secured a 2:1 victory over Aurora in the seventh round of the National League on Friday night. The hosts held their nerve after conceding twice in quick succession, then found a late winner to complete the turnaround. By then the stadium had been buzzing for nearly an hour, and the tension only thickened when the substitute stepped onto the pitch.
K. J. Lopez gave Antigua the lead in the sixty-sixth minute, tapping in after Aurora had dominated the early exchanges. Monterroso equalised for the visitors just four minutes later, and Fajardo snatched the winner in the eighty-first. Three goals in a twenty-minute spell decided the match, and the momentum shifted entirely.
Antigua controlled possession at 58 per cent but struggled to convert. They registered thirteen shots off target alongside two on target, while Aurora managed only one shot on target from two attempts. The statistics tell a familiar story: many chances, few finishes.
Aurora made their only change in the forty-sixth minute, bringing on A. J. Echeverria Perez. Antigua, meanwhile, rotated eight players across the second half, including two double substitutions in the closing stages. The coaching staff were trying to keep fresh legs in the game as the tempo rose.
The result leaves Antigua with some momentum after a mixed run. They lost to Deportivo San Pedro and Herediano in their previous two outings before beating Comunicaciones and Coban Imperial. Aurora, meanwhile, ended a barren spell with their victory at Malacateco and followed it with a win against Suchitepequez.