Municipal Perez Zeledon was the most consistent team during the regular season of the 2012 Summer Tournament. The Southern Warriors experienced some slight setbacks at the end of the season, but fans mostly chalked it up to the fact that the team had already clinched its ticket to the semifinals, and thus was allowed to relax a bit.

Many football fans in Costa Rica thought that Perez Zeledon would prevail, but they were also secretly clamoring for a final played between Club Sport Herediano and Deportivo Saprissa, as that match is traditionally considered a classic display of skilled football; alas, that will not be the case this tournament.

Perez Zeledon let its guard down against CS Herediano and paid dearly for it. The Southern Warriors had the home pitch advantage as their final game was played in the Valley of the General, although a good number of fans traveled from Heredia to cheer their team. The Warriors were helpless against the initial assault from the Herediano players, with Jorge Barbosa and Jose Miguel Cubero almost opening the score in the early minutes of the first half. Perez Zeledon also tried to pierce the goalposts guarded by Leonel Moreira, but they couldn’t find a way in.

Herediano began the second half with lots of speedy plays by Barbosa, but in the end it came down to a rocket shot on goal from Victor Nunez that hit the vertical post, bounced off Keilor Soto from Perez Zeledon, and landed inside the goalposts. That was at the 65 minute mark. Fifteen minutes later, Victor Nunez executed an impeccable solo play and dribbled past defenders to stick the fork in Perez Zeledon.

The final will be decided between Herediano and Asociacion Deportiva Santos, a modest team from Guapiles that surprised everyone by knocking Deportivo Saprissa out of the finals yesterday.

Source: EverardoHerrera.com