Alianza Beats Salsa With Penalty Kick

A penalty kick in the second half resulted in the only goal of the match as the Salsa was beaten, 1-0, by Alianza Saturday in the first leg of a two-game elimination series in the CONCACAF competition in front of 4,000 at Cuscatlan Stadium.

Two minutes into the second half, Salsa newcomer Yari Allnut brought down Alianza’s Nelson Vladimir Rojas inside the box, setting up the Alianza penalty kick. Midfielder Milton Antonio Melendez took it, going to the right past Salsa goalkeeper Bob Ammann.

The Salsa had three close calls on goal, striking the crossbar each time.

“I felt we dominated the game,” Salsa Coach Rick Davis said. “But we committed a tackle inside the box that we shouldn’t have. When you’re playing away from home, those tackles in the box are not advisable because more often than not, the call goes in favor of the home team.”

The match, the first of 1994 for the Salsa, was the team’s international debut outside the United States or Canada and Davis’ debut as coach. The series is part of CONCACAF’s annual tournament for champions and runners-up from countries of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The teams will play again at 4 p.m. Sunday at Fullerton’s Titan Stadium. The series winner will advance to Round 3 of the CONCACAF Cup against the winner of an on-going series between teams from Nicaragua and Guatemala.