MONTEVIDEO (Interstat) — San Marcos and visiting Rancho Santana played to a 2-2 draw in a football match Thursday at Estadio Olímpico. The home side twice trailed after a fast start by the visitors, then found the goals needed to split the points. Rancho Santana scored twice in the opening eight minutes, while San Marcos answered in the 33rd and 56th minutes. The result kept both clubs without a win in the competition and across all competitions this season.

Rancho Santana made the stronger start and took the lead in the sixth minute. The visitors doubled their advantage in the eighth minute, putting San Marcos under pressure early and forcing the home side to chase the match. San Marcos settled into the contest and pulled one goal back in the 33rd minute. Rancho Santana led 2-1 at halftime. The home side continued to push after the break and equalized in the 56th minute, completing the scoring on the night. Neither side found a fifth goal as the match moved into its final stages.

San Marcos pushed for a winner after drawing level, but Rancho Santana held its shape and kept the home side from adding to its total. The visitors also had spells of possession late, though neither team could produce another goal. The draw left both sides with one point from the match and kept their competition records level. It was the second draw of the season in the competition for each club. San Marcos and Rancho Santana each had chances in the closing stages, but the defenses and goalkeepers held firm. The match ended with the sides level after four goals, two for each team.

The result left both teams at 0 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws in the competition. Both teams also hold the same 0-4-2 record across all competitions this season. Rancho Santana entered the match after consecutive defeats, including a 4-1 loss at Ferretti and a 1-0 home loss to Diriangen. Its other results this season included a draw with UNAN-Managua and losses to Sport Sebaco and Managua FC. San Marcos had played Matagalpa to a 0-0 draw in its previous match before facing Rancho Santana. San Marcos also had a draw with Matagalpa and losses to UNAN-Managua, Managua FC, Sport Sebaco and Diriangen on its season ledger.

The visitors opened the scoring early and held the advantage until San Marcos began to find space in the attacking third. San Marcos’s response came in the 33rd minute, and the home side carried that momentum into the second half. The first half produced three goals, and the second half produced one. The equalizer in the 56th minute brought the home crowd into the match, but Rancho Santana avoided further damage. Both teams traded possession in the closing minutes without finding a decisive finish. San Marcos sought a late winner, but Rancho Santana defended without conceding again. The final whistle confirmed a draw that left each team still searching for its first victory.

Neither club was able to claim its first win of the season, and both remain at the bottom of their competition record with the same line. Both sides remained without a win after the final whistle. The match at Estadio Olímpico produced an even result after Rancho Santana’s early burst and San Marcos’s second-half response. The teams will carry identical records into their next fixtures.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of San Marcos 3, Rancho Santana 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Rancho Santana with a 53.7 percent probability to win. San Marcos had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1. The total of four goals went under the over-under line of 3.5.