ICYMI: Benítez dominates in Libertad debut, Eriksson anchors wild win, and more former Loons action

This week’s midweek slate featured plenty of fireworks, highlighted by an unforgettable return to Club Libertad for Alan Benítez, who stuffed the stat sheet with a goal and two assists in a 7-0 rout. Meanwhile, Victor Eriksson weathered a wild eight-goal thriller in Sweden, Alejandro Bran helped control the midfield in a Costa Rican clean sheet, and Romario Ibarra punched his club’s ticket to the Copa Sudamericana group stage.

Here is a look at how our former Loons fared in their latest matchups:

Monday, March 2

  • Victor Eriksson (Örebro SK 3, Hammarby FF 5): Eriksson anchored the backline for Hammarby FF, playing the full 90 minutes and helping his side secure a wild 5-3 road victory over Örebro SK in Svenska Cupen group stage action.
  • Alan Benítez (Sportivo San Lorenzo 0, Libertad 7): Benítez delivered an absolutely brilliant performance in his return to his former club. He started on the right flank and played the full match, finding the back of the net in the 63rd minute and providing two late assists to help power Libertad to a dominant 7-0 road victory.

Tuesday, March 3

  • Ramón Ábila (Sarmiento Junín 1, Estudiantes de Río Cuarto 0): Ábila started the match on the bench but was brought on as a halftime substitute, replacing forward Martín Garnerone. He played the final 45 minutes of the second half, earning a 6.1 match rating, but ultimately wasn’t able to help Estudiantes de Río Cuarto find an equalizer after conceding that early penalty.
  • Alejandro Bran (LD Alajuelense 2, CS Cartagines 0): Bran was listed in the starting XI for LD Alajuelense, slotting into the midfield in a 5-2-3 formation. He helped his side control the match and secure the clean sheet in the 2-0 victory. Johan Venegas from CS Cartagines is currently recovering from an injury and was ultimately forced to miss out on the head-to-head reunion with his fellow former Loon.

Wednesday, March 4

  • Matúš Kmeť (FK Košice 4, Dunajska Streda 0): Kmeť earned the starting nod in the midfield for Dunajska Streda’s quarterfinal clash in the Slovak Cup. He logged 83 minutes of action before being substituted late in the match, but unfortunately, his squad was eliminated from the tournament following a tough 4-0 defeat on the road against FK Košice.
  • Romario Ibarra (Deportivo Cuenca 3, Libertad 0): Ibarra began the match on the bench and was called upon as a second-half substitute in the 60th minute of Deportivo Cuenca’s crucial Copa Sudamericana first-stage qualification clash against Libertad. The veteran winger helped his squad maintain their momentum and close out a commanding 3-0 victory to officially advance to the group stage of the tournament.

Thursday, March 5

  • No matches involving former Loons