Motagua made a statement in their Apertura opener, beating Hutsicalpa 3-0 at the Estadio Cementos Progreso on Saturday evening. The visitors took control early and never looked back, with goals from J. Moya, R. De Olivera, and an unnamed finisher in the final minutes. It was a comfortable victory for the fifth-placed side, while Hutsicalpa remain rooted to the bottom half of the table.
Motagua's superiority showed from the first whistle. They earned seven corners to Hutsicalpa's zero and kept 52 per cent of the ball. The visitors also had the better of the set-piece battle, winning four free kicks against sixteen conceded. Hutsicalpa were forced into changes, with V. Marinacci replaced at the break and two more substitutions around the hour mark.
The breakthrough came in the 65th minute when J. Moya found the net. He was then substituted himself in the 70th, perhaps to rest a man on a hat-trick. By then, Hutsicalpa had already taken two yellow cards, both to Rochez, and were looking increasingly vulnerable. The hosts tried to respond but could not test the Motagua goalkeeper, managing only two shots on target all game.
R. De Olivera doubled the lead in the 81st minute, and a third goal arrived in the 85th to put the result beyond doubt. The visitors had nine shots on target against Hutsicalpa's two, and while the ratio suggests plenty of chances, the third goal came late enough to confirm the win. Hutsicalpa's attack produced nothing of note, with zero offsides and zero corners to their name.
The statistics tell a straightforward story. Motagua dominated possession and created more opportunities, while Hutsicalpa's 48 per cent share meant they could not pin the visitors back. The hosts' two shots on target compared to nine from the visitors shows who was doing the damage. Three goals from nine attempts is efficient enough, though one might have expected more given the disparity.
For Hutsicalpa, the result keeps them in 11th place with three points from six games. They have not won since April and lost 1-2 to this same Motagua side earlier in the season. Motagua move into fifth with ten points, sitting four clear of those below them. The visitors' recent form, including a 5-0 win over Verdes, suggests they are building momentum at just the right time.