Clásico Cibao FC vs. Pantoja Closes Matchday 5 of the LDF
The expected “Clásico de Clásicos” of the Dominican Republic Football League (LDF) will star in the closing of matchday 5 of the Liguilla. Cibao FC will face Club Atlético Pantoja on Sunday at 3:30 in the afternoon at the Panamericano stadium, in an event dedicated to Dr. José Rafael Abinader.
This match is crucial, as Cibao FC arrives at this date sharing the top of the table with Delfines del Este and Moca FC, all with 7 points. Pantoja, for its part, is in fourth position, tied with Salcedo FC. The top four teams advance to the semifinals, so the match is key for both.
Cibao FC has shown a solid performance with two wins, one draw and one defeat, scoring 7 goals and conceding 5, giving them a positive balance of +2. Pantoja registers one win, two draws and one defeat, totaling 5 points, with 5 goals for and 3 against, also with a balance of +2.
Since the creation of the LDF in 2015, Cibao FC and Pantoja are the only teams with multiple titles. Cibao FC has triumphed on five occasions and is the current champion, while Pantoja has lifted the cup twice.
In the regular season, both teams demonstrated their quality by finishing in the top two, with Pantoja leading the table with 43 points and Cibao FC in second place with 41.
In matchday 4, the Junior Scheldeur team, despite the injuries, defeated Universidad O&M with a score of 4-2, thanks to a brace from Rivaldo Correa and goals from Omar De la Cruz and Julio César Murillo.
Cibao FC’s three top scorers, along with Ernesto “Che” Trinidad, were included in the Ideal Eleven of matchday 4.
Ángel Pérez leads Cibao FC’s goalscoring chart with 8 goals, followed by Edwarlyn Reyes with 6, Rivaldo Correa with 5, Julio César Murillo and Carlos “Caballo” Ventura with 3 each. Wilman Modesta, Javier Roces, Walter Acuña, Julián Gómez and Leonardo Villalba have also contributed with goals. In addition, Gabriel Peguero, Yunior Peralta, Cesarín Ortiz, Gonzalo Alarcón, Elián López and Omar De la Cruz have each scored one goal.
Cibao FC’s goal is guarded by Miguel Lloyd, Edwin “Gato” Frías, and Elián Beras.
Carlos Sarante is their top scorer with 6 goals for Pantoja. Luis Espinal has 5, Fabricio Moreno and Gerard Lavergne with 3, Yordi Álvarez and Edison Guerrero with 2, and José Jaquez, Ismael “Pinta” Díaz and Jeremy Báez with one.Other Matches of the Day
The 5th matchday of the Liguilla will begin on Saturday with two exciting matches. Moca FC will visit Universidad O&M at the Panamericano stadium at 3:30 in the afternoon. Simultaneously, Salcedo FC will host Delfines del Este at the Domingo Polonia stadium.
