Helahu and Firpo played out a 1:1 draw in the CONCACAF Central American Cup Group Stage on Wednesday evening. The match at Helahu's ground produced four goals across the opening half before Firpo levelled to secure a point away from home.
D. Casas opened the scoring for the hosts in the eleventh minute, then struck again just sixty seconds later. D. Ortez added a third goal for Helahu shortly after, but the hosts also conceded in the twenty-second minute. To be fair, the early exchanges were frantic, and neither side could settle into a rhythm.
The second half saw both managers make changes. V. Garcia and J. Gonzalez came on for Firpo at the break, while Helahu brought on L. S. Vasquez Velasquez in the fifty-seventh minute. D. Casas was substituted in the sixty-sixth after his brace.
Discipline was an issue for the home side. E. Monreal received a yellow card early in the half, followed by S. Cardenas sixty-four minutes in. L. Claros was cautioned in the eighty-third minute before W. Tebalan was sent off in stoppage time.
Helahu dominated possession at 66 per cent and registered 113 attacks compared to Firpo's 84. The hosts won 12 corners to 3 and had 7 shots on target against 4 for their opponents. By then, the match had settled into a pattern where Helahu controlled territory but Firpo absorbed pressure.
The result leaves both sides with a point from their opening Group Stage fixture. Firpo's away form continues with a hard-fought point, while Helahu's clean-sheet run came to an end after three consecutive matches without conceding.
