Escorpiones Belén — Perez Zeledon, Primera División

Escorpiones Belén and Pérez-Selcedón played out a 0-0 draw in the third round of the Apertura stage of the Primera División on Saturday. The result leaves both sides hovering near each other in the middle of the table, with Pérez-Selcedón holding two points clear at eighth place. By then, the match had settled into a rhythm of cautious exchanges rather than open play. There were no goals to speak of, but the game produced six substitutions and three yellow cards. I. Espinoza came on for the hosts in the 46th minute, while Pérez-Selcedón brought on J. Alvarado and E. Morales in the 68th and 70th. The yellow cards came from C. Munoz at 52 minutes, and later from W. Fernandez and M. Trinidad Aguilar Pena in stoppage time. And here's the thing — the game was decided in those small moments, not in the scoreline. The statistics tell a story of fairly even contest. Escorpiones Belén managed 49 per cent possession against 51 for the visitors, with shots on target at five and seven respectively. Both sides won six corners each, though Pérez-Selcedón registered slightly more attacks at 101 to 90. The hosts were more disciplined with free kicks conceded at 12, compared to 16 for the visitors. What this means for the table is that neither team has gained ground on the others around them. Escorpiones Belén remain on four points from seven games, while Pérez-Selcedón sit on eight with the same number of matches played. The visitors have won twice and drawn twice, while the hosts have yet to string together a positive run after their opening loss to Alajuelense. It was a match where the old head settled things down rather than any single moment of brilliance. Both sides had chances — shots accuracy sat at 42 per cent for Escorpiones Belén and 50 for Pérez-Selcedón — but neither could find the net. To be fair, when teams are this evenly matched, a point apiece is a reasonable outcome.