Alajuelense earn long-awaited 30th title in Costa Rica

Liga Deportiva Alajuelense ended a seven-year drought and reached its 30th soccer title in Costa Rica by winning the second phase of the 2020 Apertura Championship.

The crown was earned without the need for a “Gran Final.”

Alajuelense won 1-0 in the second leg of the series against Club Sport Herediano, with a lone score by attacker Jonathan Moya (30). The global scoreboard for this final of the phase was 2-0 in favor of “La Liga.”

The defeated suffered the expulsion (77) of their captain Yendrick Ruiz, brother of the captain of the new champions, Bryan Ruiz — star of the World Cup in Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.

This is the first title of the Argentine Andrés Carevic, who assumed head of the red and black for Apertura 2019.

This was his third consecutive final in Costa Rica. This was also the fourth straight win for Alajuelenses against Heredia, as they also beat them in the two games of the first phase.

Cuban Marcel Hernandez finished as the top scorer of the tournament with 13 goals.