Cartaginés coach Andrés Carevic expressed disappointment after his team’s 1-2 loss to Olimpia of Honduras in the first leg of the Central American Cup quarterfinals, played at Rafael Fello Meza Stadium in Cartago.
Carevic acknowledged that his team struggled during the first half, allowing Olimpia to capitalize on defensive mistakes. “We had a very, very weak first half and Olimpia took advantage. We played a great second half, but it wasn’t enough. We had chances to tie the game and couldn’t convert them. In the end, I congratulate the players for their great effort on the field,” said Carevic.
He highlighted Olimpia’s maturity and quality as key factors in their victory. “Olimpia played a great game, they have a good team. Without a doubt it’s a very important club in the region, but now we must go there, look for the game and try to turn around the series that’s against us,” he added.
Carevic admitted that Cartaginés did not perform well during the opening period. “We lacked our essence in the first half: what this team does well is propose, play good football and try to be aggressive. We weren’t sharp; the team was disorganized with many offensive inaccuracies, and that ultimately affected the result despite our improvement in the second half,” emphasized Carevic.
Looking ahead to the return match in Honduras, Carevic stressed that his squad must remain determined. “It’s football. Sometimes things don’t go well, but we faced a strong opponent who did what was necessary to win. We need to go to Honduras looking for a result and avoid repeating our first-half mistakes so we have an opportunity to score and fight for qualification,” concluded Carevic.
