Walter Ferretti beat Matagalpa 4:1 in the third round of the Apertura in the Primera División on Sunday. The hosts found themselves ahead after eight minutes when J. Caceres opened the scoring, but the real shift came when Matagalpa's J. Garcia was sent off thirty-nine minutes in. By then Ferretti had made their extra man count, and the rest of the afternoon followed a predictable pattern.
Caceres struck first from open play in the eighth minute, a moment that gave the home side confidence without changing the balance. Matagalpa survived until the thirty-ninth minute when Garcia's dismissal turned the contest, and Perez gave Ferretti a two-goal cushion fifty-three minutes in. Zuniga added a third fifty-four minutes later, Rivera made it four sixty-one minutes in, and Harris Gregory found the net in stoppage time to wrap up a comprehensive victory.
The red card came at a crucial stage, and Ferretti held their nerve while Matagalpa were reduced to ten. The visitors switched off at the back after the dismissal, found no answer to the pressure, and the price has drifted for any hopes they had of turning this around. Three goals in quick succession after the sending-off made the difference, and Ferretti pinned them back for the remainder.
Walter Ferretti registered ninety-six attacks against ninety-two for Matagalpa, with possession split 54 per cent to 46 per cent. The hosts had six shots on target and six off, while Matagalpa managed only two on target and five off. Ferretti took seven corners to four, and the statistical spread reflected a game where the hosts controlled territory without needing to dominate in every metric.
The result leaves Matagalpa seven points clear of Walter Ferretti in seventh place, both teams having played nine matches. Ferretti sit eighth on seven points with two wins and a draw, while Matagalpa's three victories keep them ahead despite six defeats. The gap matters more than the positions, and Ferretti's recent form suggests they are still finding their footing.
Walter Ferretti's last outing ended 1:3 against Diriangén, and before that came a 0:1 loss to Jalapa. Matagalpa's recent run includes a 0:2 defeat to Real Estelí and a 0:3 hammering by H & H Export, though they did beat Jalapa 3:1 earlier in July. Both sides have struggled for consistency, and this result changes little in the short term but offers Ferretti a foundation to build on.