Luis Angel Firpo, managed by Costa Rican Marvin Solano, achieved his eleventh title in El Salvador's First Division football this Saturday after defeating Alianza 5-4 in a penalty shootout in the final of the Apertura 2025 tournament, following a draw 0-0 after 120 minutes of play.

With this result, Firpo returns to the top of Salvadoran football and played one of the closest and most exciting finals in recent years, solidifying its place as one of the country's historic clubs.

Firpo returns to glory 12 years later

With this, Firpo, from the hot city of Usulutan (east), wins a title 12 years after their last triumph in 2013, snatching the back-to-back championship from Alianza, the capital city team managed by Argentine Ernesto Corti.

The championship represents a turning point for Firpo, which opted for a project led from the bench by Marvin Solano and which paid off at the decisive moment of the 2025 Apertura tournament.

A tactical start and without Surprises

The first 15 minutes of the match were uneventful, with both teams maintaining possession-based play until Firpo, after 20 minutes, began to pressure their opponents and created two significant scoring opportunities.

The initial approach showed two cautious teams, aware of what was at stake in the Salvadoran football championship final.

Key blow: Alianza's goalkeeper's injury

Corti's team suffered a blow in the 32nd minute when their starting goalkeeper, Mario Gonzalez, a key player for the capital city team, injured his right wrist after a poor clearance.

Gonzalez's absence changed the course of the match and forced Alianza to adjust their formation and take greater risks in attack.

Alianza dominates possession, Firpo resists

Gonzalez's injury forced the team to press and increase their attack, and That's how they took control of the party.in which they had over 50% possession in the first half.

Despite Alliance's territorial dominance,Firpo managed to maintain defensive order and close down space in their own half.

Intense second half, goalless

In the second half, Firpo resumed their attack against a nervous Alianza side, but as time went on, the match picked up and the teams developed an interesting end-to-end game.

Opportunities appeared at both ends, but a lack of finishing the score unchanged.

The title was decided from the penalty spot

The intensity of the match decreased as time passed and the score remained 0-0 at the end of the second half, forcing extra time, in which the score remained 0-0 and led to a penalty shootout.

From the penalty spot, Firpo was more effective and sealed a historic 5-4 victory, unleashing celebrations in Usulutan and writing a new golden chapter in the club's history.