Olimpia beat Motagua 3-1 in the Apertura third round of the National League on Saturday night. The hosts took control early with two quick strikes before Motagua's red card shifted the balance. A fourth straight win keeps Olimpia top of the table with 14 points from six games.
J. Portillo opened the scoring in the fourth minute, and M. Chirinos doubled the lead just four minutes later. Motagua pushed back but D. Melendez was sent off in the 40th minute and that changed everything. By then Olimpia had already drawn breath and were running out of games to find their rhythm.
R. Garcia pulled one back for Motagua in the 51st minute, but the visitors never got going after losing their man. I. Enriquez finished the job with a goal in the 77th minute to seal the result. The hosts kept a clean sheet in the second half despite Motagua's increased pressure.
Both teams shared possession at 50-50, but the quality of chances told the story. Olimpia registered seven shots on target from 95 attacks, while Motagua managed nine on target from 118 attacks. And here's the thing — the visitors had more attacks but couldn't convert the extra opportunities.
Olimpia remain unbeaten with four wins and two draws, while Motagua dropped to fourth place with nine points from five matches. The hosts played with more purpose after the break, and Motagua were reduced to ten men for the second half. To be fair, Motagua had been in good form before this result.