PANAMA CITY, Panama – With a 7-1 win at Plaza Amador on Thursday, not only did Olimpia take a large step toward reaching the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League final, it also made some history.
The victory at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez Stadium was the Honduran club’s first-ever triumph in a competitive match on Panamanian soil in three all-time attempts.
In the 2007 Copa Interclubes UNCAF round of 16, Olimpia and San Francisco FC battled to a scoreless draw. Two years later, the Leones dropped a 1-0 decision to Arabe Unido in the preliminary round of the 2009/10 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League. Both encounters were played in La Chorrera.
Olimpia head coach Carlos Restrepo said of the victory that featured Roger Rojas and Michael Chirinos braces: “I think that we had a lot of clarity at the moment of finishing. We had strength in all the plays. I did not expect 7-1. I leave happy with the result. It was a bad night for Plaza. We had analyzed a strong team, with a great coach, but they had a bad night.”
By avoiding a 7-0 loss in the second leg on September 21, Olimpia will advance to the decider against either Arabe Unido or Santos de Guapiles.