Delfines Del Este reached the final of the Liga Mayor semi-finals by winning a penalty shootout 7-5 against Salcedo after the match had finished 2-2 across 120 minutes. The contest was decided by a sequence of 10 penalties, but the underlying numbers tell a story of near-perfect balance between the sides. The Lemeister model had given Delfines Del Este a 38% chance of victory and projected a 1-0 home win, which the eventual result surpassed only through the shootout, reflecting the model's cautious read of a tight semi-final.
Salcedo struck first when E. Reyes scored in the sixth minute, giving the visitors an early lead that they held for nearly 20 minutes. Delfines Del Este responded through a penalty converted by J. Ramos in the 25th minute, drawing level from the spot. The home side then took the lead just before half-time when D. Losada scored in the 44th minute, completing a turnaround that set the stage for a tense second half. No further goals were added in regulation or the first period of extra time, leaving the tie at 2-1 to Delfines Del Este as the match approached the 120th minute.
The scoring resumed in dramatic fashion deep into extra time. Y. H. Hurtado A. converted a penalty for Delfines Del Este in the 121st minute, extending the lead to 3-1. But Salcedo replied immediately through K. Martes from the spot in the same minute, reducing the deficit to 3-2. D. Valerio then put Delfines Del Este ahead again from another penalty in the 122nd minute, only for C. Rossell to equalise for Salcedo in the same minute, making it 4-3. J. Angulo scored from the spot for Salcedo in the 123rd minute, and D. Flores added another penalty in the 124th minute, leaving the score at 5-4 to Salcedo after the first five rounds of the shootout. The decisive moment came when B. More received a yellow card and then a red card in the 116th minute, reducing Salcedo to 10 men for the remainder of the shootout, though they still managed to convert their penalties until the final rounds.
The match statistics are not recorded in the data, but the absence of any shots, possession or passing figures means the analysis must focus on the sequence of events and the penalty shootout. Salcedo were able to score six penalties in the shootout despite playing with 10 men, but Delfines Del Este managed seven, securing the win through greater accuracy or composure from the spot. B. More's red card for two yellow cards in the same minute was the only disciplinary action, and it left Salcedo a player short during the critical shootout phase, though the impact is difficult to quantify without further data.
The result means Delfines Del Este advance to the final, having overcome a first-half deficit and then a shootout against a Salcedo side that showed resilience by scoring late penalties. The Lemeister model's pre-match expectation of a tight contest with a slight home advantage was borne out by the narrow margins, though the shootout drama exceeded the projected scoreline. Delfines Del Este will now await the winner of the other semi-final, knowing that their path to the title required both regular-time resilience and penalty composure. The shootout, with 10 penalties taken across four minutes, underlined the fine margins that decided the semi-final.
