Olimpia ended Firpo's hopes in the CONCACAF Central American Cup quarter-finals with a comfortable 3:0 victory in Panama on Thursday evening. The result sees the visitors advance to the semi-finals while the hosts go home empty-handed after what looked like a firm win from the start.
They took the lead in the second half when J. Alvarez found the net in the 52nd minute, and Y. Arboleda doubled the advantage just a minute later. Firpo tried to respond but could not break through, and N. Dibble added a third in the 85th minute to make the scoreline respectable.
We had backed the away side before kick-off with 61 per cent confidence, and the match played out exactly as we expected. Olimpia controlled the tempo, made their chances count, and never let Firpo settle into their game.
Both sides traded possessions fairly evenly, Firpo holding 49 per cent and Olimpia 51, but the difference showed in the final third. The visitors registered six shots on target against five for the hosts, with a slightly higher accuracy rate of 40 per cent compared to 38.
Firpo generated more attacks overall — 120 to 118 — and won eight corners to Olimpia's four, but those numbers meant little once the visitors went ahead. The hosts struggled to convert their territorial advantage into clear-cut opportunities.
There were plenty of substitutions as both managers reshuffled their lines, with Olimpia making five changes from the 72nd minute onwards. Firpo also brought on fresh legs, bringing on I. Enriquez in the 90th minute as the clock ran down.
The result leaves Olimpia in the final four of this tournament, while Firpo's campaign is over. They will have to reflect on a match where they dominated in possession but lost the battle in the box.