San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Royal Spain once again starred in a formidable night in a classic and broke a drought of eight games without beating the Olimpia after beating them 1-0 in the first leg of the playoffs of the Closing Tournament 2024.
The aurinegro team led by the Uruguayan Miguel Falero He showed one of his best tactical and defensive versions in the championship and stopped the power of the white club, which left the Olympic Stadium with only one dangerous shot between the three posts.
“The team was up to the task, we faced a very tough opponent, we knew it would be a highly contested match, we had just the right balance to run on par with what Olimpia ran. I think there was an intention to play more, to seek prominence from the central ball forward that allowed us to put risk in the rival area,” the Uruguayan coach highlighted in a press conference.
“We achieved three things that were very good: neutralize the direct game by having Jim (Varela) in front of their midfield and create a numerical superiority so that they could not move, because until the 35th minute they had the first risky opportunity on a ball that They put Bengston in. The dispute in midfield was divided, but we had a tendency to distribute it well which led us to not get impatient and have scoring opportunities. The last thing, the performance of the players, (Cristian) Cálix had the best version of him after a time injured and we managed to counteract Onan (Rodríguez)’s aerial game.”
“The superiority that we could not achieve with Jhow (Benavídez) and (Roberto) Osorto, we did it with Jhow and Cálix, that possession of the ball with players with a very good outlook is important, the rise of the sides as well, a big team must play with his sides in attack. I am very grateful to the players for different reasons, we worked on this and it was achieved,” Falero highlighted.
The ’10’ of Real España was injured after 65 minutes and they were about to transfer him to a hospital. “Jhow’s case is a severe bruise on his thigh, the anterior area of his quadricep was stiff, so he couldn’t move, he tried and tried and had to leave, and that disposition speaks a lot about the team as such,” he said about the coach about his star footballer.
Regarding whether eliminating Olimpia in Tegucigalpa and culminating in Pedro Troglio’s string of seven titles could be classified as a failure, the Real España coach highlighted the following.
“I wouldn’t say a hit, I would say that Saturday’s winner will most likely be the champion, I think the champion will come from there. It will not be an easy game, the second 90 minutes will be played, they have knowledge of the field, they have a very good team and a very high squad, they have 33 players who can put together three teams and if you put them to play in the League they would finish in the first places , it is very well managed… it is very difficult to become champion in Honduras, and Olimpia and the coach have seven championships, for that a lot of respect,” said the Uruguayan coach.
“We know that there will be a full stadium, we will play at a higher speed because the floor of the National Stadium is much better, but I would like the player who plays better to win on Saturday. Neither Spain nor Olimpia need anything from anyone, nor do we need help or harm from anyone. That worries me, that I will be left alone on the field of play and the game will go to whoever plays the best,” said Miguel Falero.
To conclude the conference, the Uruguayan coach confirmed that he will continue with Real España at the end of the tournament for personal reasons. “I am not going to continue, the players asked me to continue, the president asked me to give them a space to choose the new coach and I am going to do everything possible to leave him at the top, my dream is to become champion. I had a very big family problem, they need me at home,” he concluded.
