Ten-man Alajuelense and Herediano share the spoils at the Morera

Some draws feel like too little and some feel like nothing at all. Wednesday night at the Morera Soto had a bit of both: Alajuelense left feeling they had it and let it slip, while Herediano left stung by a penalty that crashed off the crossbar. A point apiece, and neither side happy.

La Liga came out looking for it from the first whistle and didn't wait long. In the 8th minute Juan Pablo Añor fed the ball into the box and Ronaldo Cisneros made no mistake, a firm right-footed finish that gave Danny Carvajal no chance. The striker kept prowling around the goal, but one effort flew over and two more were flagged offside.

The game turned before the half-hour. In the 25th minute referee David Gómez showed Everardo Rubio a red card after a clash with Roan Wilson. VAR intervened, Gómez went to the monitor and the decision changed hands: Wilson had been the aggressor. Rubio's red was rescinded and Wilson was sent off in the 29th minute, leaving Alajuelense to hold on with ten men for more than an hour.

Óscar Ramírez's side dropped deeper and Jafet Soto's Herediano took control of the ball. Allan Cruz had a goal ruled out for offside in the 41st minute and, just as the stadium was thinking about half-time, the blow landed: in stoppage time Luis Ronaldo Araya, on for Rubio, delivered a precise cross and Fernando Lesme rose above everyone to head in the equaliser.

The second half belonged to Herediano. Washington Ortega was the standout, denying Emerson Bravo's point-blank header in the 52nd minute and turning away an Eduardo Juárez shot in the 56th. At the other end, Kenyel Michel tested Carvajal in the 48th in one of Alajuelense's few openings.

Then came the moment of the match. In the 68th minute Araya's shot struck Michel's arm inside the box and a penalty was given. Lesme, already on the scoresheet, had the chance to turn the game around, but his kick smashed off the crossbar and went out for a goal kick. The Morera breathed again.

Alajuelense even had a late chance of their own when Anthony Hernández pounced on a Getsel Montes error in the 75th minute, but his shot went wide. Ramírez brought on Yeison Molina, Luis Díaz, Aarón Salazar and Creichel Pérez; Soto sent on Randall Leal, Aarón Murillo, Keysher Fuller and Abner Hudson in search of a winner. Neither found one.

The draw helps no one. Alajuelense stay sixth on 16 points, two short of the qualification places, and travel to San Carlos next. Herediano remain bottom with 8 points after eleven matchdays and head to Pérez Zeledón. Both are running out of room.