CONCACAF Champions League Review: Sporting Kansas City, Herediano win well

Sporting Kansas City moved closer to the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Deportivo Saprissa.

Sporting Kansas City moved closer to the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Deportivo Saprissa.

The MLS outfit climbed to the top of the Group Two table with their home win and have played one less game than Deportivo and the other team in their pool, Nicaragua’s Real Esteli.

English forward Dominic Dwyer gave Sporting a 13th-minute lead when he rifled a left-foot penalty past Deportivo goalkeeper Danny Carvajal.

The Costa Rican side levelled proceedings through Juan Bustos in the 28th minute but Toni’s second-half brace would settle the contest.

Toni gave Sporting the lead in stunning fashion, thrashing a left-foot volley past Carvajal with 21 minutes remaining.

The influential Graham Zuzi’s cross-field ball was volleyed to the top of the penalty area by Benny Feilhaber and Toni met it on the full, with his shot too hot to handle for the Deportivo keeper.

And Toni wrapped up Sporting’s win seven minutes later, coolly slotting home after Dwyer’s ball had been allowed to run across the face of goal and to the back post.

Sporting host Real Esteli in their next Group Two match on Tuesday.

In Thursday’s other match, Herediano ended Isidro Metapan’s campaign as they came from behind to win 4-2.

Romeo Parkes gave Isidro – bottom of Group Seven with no points after three matches – the lead after 20 minutes.

But Victor Nunez levelled before half-time and the same player netted again on the hour-mark to give Costa Rica’s Herediano the lead.

Yendrick Ruiz added two more goals for Herediano, meaning that Marvin Monterrosa’s stoppage-time effort was no more than a consolation for the El Salvador outfit, who are out of quarter-final contention.