San Pedro Pirates, Verdes draw 2-2 in PLB semifinals

File Photo courtesy of Verdes FC

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: As predicted, the first semifinal between the San Pedro Pirates and defending champions Verdes on Saturday at San Pedro was as hot as could be and as even as they were during the regular season. After much heart-stopping excitement and two injury time goals, the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

After a dead-even 60 minutes, Desmond Wade, hot off his hat trick against the Belmopan Bandits, struck the first goal putting Verdes ahead 1-0.

The Blue Tsunami rallied back, getting the equalizer in the 80th minute on a goal by Andir Chi.

When it appeared the match would end 1-1, Mexican Eric Izquierdo Román powered what many thought would be the winning goal for San Pedro in the third minute of injury time (90’+3).

San Pedro celebrated the 2-1 lead wildly, but their joy was extremely short-lived as the Green Machine’s Krisean Lopez, who only played the second half, converted in the 90’+5 sealing the 2-2 draw.

This was the third draw between both teams this season and their second consecutive 2-2 draw at San Pedro.

In the first match on Sunday, August 28, they played to a 0-0 stalemate at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio. In the return match, they played to a 2-2 draw at San Pedro’s Ambergris Stadium on Saturday, October 15. Like last night, Verdes managed to draw late in the ball game. The difference is that in that game the Green Machine found themselves down 2-0 as Mario Chimal, in the 7^th minute, and Horace Avila, in the 57^th, had given the Pirates a comfortable cushion. But the Western side didn’t come undone, bouncing back on goals by Trimayne Harris in the 72^nd and Edwin Villeda Bernal in 89^th to finish in a 2-2 tie.

Who advances to the Final will be decided in the second semifinal at the Norman Broaster in San Ignacio on Sunday, November 20.

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