Comunicaciones edge past Malacateco in four-goal thriller
Comunicaciones beat Malacateco 4-2 in the fourth round of the National League on Saturday, a result that ended the visitors' unbeaten run from two matches. D. Bradley scored twice in the second half to seal the win, while Malacateco's J. A. Esqueda Romero received a second yellow card in the 84th minute and J. Castanon Fuentes was shown red three minutes later. The home side had been struggling recently, losing their last meeting against Malacateco 1-0 in April, but pulled together enough to take all three points.
The opening exchanges were cagey until Bradley broke the deadlock in the eighth minute, just two minutes after Reyes had given Comunicaciones the lead. Quinones restored the advantage at 13 minutes before Morales levelled at 24, and then Reyes thought he had restored the lead again at 27 — only for the goal to be cancelled by VAR. Bradley retaken the initiative at half-time with a 45th-minute strike, and the pattern held through the second half despite Malacateco's growing frustration.
Malacateco pushed harder after the break and drew level briefly when Morales scored, but Bradley restored the two-goal cushion in the 80th minute. The visitors lost Esqueda Romero for a second booking at 84 minutes and then Castanon Fuentes after a 90th-minute red card, leaving them to finish with ten men. Communications made three substitutions in the second half — de la Cruz, Canales, Andrade, Longo, Quinones and Bradley all came off — while Malacateco brought on Moncada and Quinones.
The statistics tell a story of efficiency rather than dominance. Comunicaciones registered six shots on target compared to Malacateco's three, and converted their chances while the visitors struggled to find the net despite 84 attacks. Possession was roughly even at 52-48, but the difference came in front of goal. Malacateco's red cards meant they played the final ten minutes a man down and could not salvage anything from the match.
The result lifts Comunicaciones away from the bottom half of the table, while Malacateco's recent form takes another hit after losing their unbeaten run. They had drawn their last two before this match, but the late collapse leaves them with nothing to show for their effort. Communications now hold a more comfortable position after a string of mixed results — a loss, a win, a draw, another loss, and a draw before this victory.