Top Moments from the 2024 Central American Cup | OneFootball

MIAMI – The 2024 Concacaf Central American Cup delivered top moments during its latest edition as LD Alajuelense claimed the title for a second consecutive year.

Here is a look at the best moments throughout the 2024 campaign:

Alajuelense are back-to-back champions

After being crowned champions in the tournament’s inaugural edition, Alajuelense defended its title and won the Central American Cup for a second consecutive year.

The Costa Rican side had a perfect group stage, topping Group B with four wins. Alajuelense then won its series against Comunicaciones in the quarterfinals before advancing to the semifinals with a 1-nil aggregate win against Guatemalan side Antigua GFC. Los Leones repeated the feat in the final against Real Estelí, winning 3-2 on aggregate, with a crucial 2-1 home win in the second leg to clinch the title.

Diego Campos takes Best Player and Top Scorer awards

Alajuelense forward Diego Campos received the Best Player Award, presented by Scotiabank, and claimed the Top Scorer Award, presented by Aramco, following his stellar performances for the champions. The Costa Rican forward was decisive throughout the campaign, totaling seven goal contributions with six goals and one assist.

Campos started the 2024 edition by scoring five times in the group stage before adding another goal in the quarterfinals. He contributed to his team’s tally in four of 10 matches during the tournament and had multiple goal contributions on three occasions.

Alajuelense finish with undefeated record, most points, most goals

Alajuelense won its second consecutive Central American Cup title with an impressive undefeated record, registering seven wins and three draws en route to lifting the cup.  The back-to-back champions also had the most points (24) and most goals (18) throughout the campaign.

Notably, Alajuelense remains undefeated all-time over two editions of the competition, boasting 14 wins and six draws.

100th match, 300th goal in Central American Cup history

The second edition saw the CCAC reach several milestones, including the 100th match in tournament history when Real Estelí and CD Águila met for their first-leg encounter in the quarterfinals at Estadio Independencia in Estelí, Nicaragua. Real Estelí won 2-1 on the night with goals from Juan Vieyra and Byron Bonilla, while Blas Sosa got on the scoresheet for Águila.

Deportivo Saprissa attacker Javon East scored the 300th goal in the tournament's history in a 1-1 draw against Comunicaciones in the first leg of their series in the play-in round.

Iván Ochoa’s late heroics send Real Estelí through to the final

Real Estelí reached the final for a second consecutive year after a strong campaign for the Nicaraguans. One of the top moments for Estelí in the tournament came in the second-leg fixture against Costa Rican side CS Herediano.

After a scoreless draw in the opening leg at home, Estelí was down 2-0 until Iván Ochoa’s late heroics to tie the match with a brace in the final minutes. The series concluded 2-2 on aggregate, with the eventual runners-up advancing on away goals.