Real Estelí took a 2-0 victory over Antigua GFC in the CONCACAF Central American Cup group stage on 5 August 2026. The visitors held firm after going ahead through J. Barrera's 40th-minute strike. Antigua dominated possession but could not find the net despite their territorial advantage.
And here's the thing about this match — the statistics tell one story, the result another. Antigua had 155 attacks and 10 corners against Real Estelí's 86 attacks and a single corner. Yet the visitors, with 33 per cent possession, scored twice. To be fair, Antigua created openings but could not convert them.
The home side started brightly, winning two yellow cards in the opening quarter. J. Ardon and J. Rosales were booked in the eighth and seventeenth minutes, followed by E. Casado in the twenty-fifth. Real Estelí's J. Barrera earned his caution in the thirty-ninth minute before scoring seven minutes later.
By then the visitors had taken control. Antigua made changes in the second half, bringing on I. Mora and R. Blanco in the sixty-seventh and sixty-ninth minutes. B. Bonilla replaced another player in the eighty-first. The substitutions could not shift the momentum.
Real Estelí added their second goal through E. Castillo in the eighty-seventh minute. The hosts picked up another yellow card through J. Faust in the eighty-fifth minute. A. Baez saw his card in stoppage time at ninety-plus-seven minutes. The visitors finished with five yellow cards to Antigua's two.
Antigua's recent form showed inconsistency — a loss to Alianza, a win against Marcense, then two defeats and a draw. Real Estelí had been more consistent, winning four of their last five matches. This result leaves the visitors in a stronger position in the group.