SANTIAGO. – Salcedo FC wrote a historic page by being proclaimed champion of the 2025-2026 season of the Dominican Republic Football League (LDF), after winning 3-2 on aggregate against Cibao FC in a dramatic final held at the PUCMM stadium in Santiago.
The Salcedo team, which is playing its first season as a professional club, withstood the pressure from the current leaders of Dominican football to win their first national championship.
Cibao FC was obliged to come back from the 2-0 suffered in the first leg played in Salcedo and from the beginning took control of the offensive of the match, repeatedly encountering the interventions of goalkeeper Odalis Báez, a key figure to maintain the goalless draw during the first half.
In the second half, Junior Scheldeur’s team increased their offensive intensity and found the discount in the 76th minute through Javier Roces, after a play initiated by Jean Carlos López and assisted by Luis López.
The orange pressure continued and at minute 88 the scorer Rivaldo Correa appeared to score 2-0 and tie the global series, unleashing the euphoria of the Cibaeños fans who dreamed of a new crown.
However, when the match seemed headed for extra time, Daniel Flores, a semifinal hero, emerged again to score the decisive goal that restored Salcedo FC’s 3-2 aggregate lead and silenced the stadium.
Referee Randy Encarnación added eight minutes of stoppage time, but the Hermanas Mirabal province team held on until the final whistle to seal a historic conquest in Dominican professional soccer.
With the championship, Salcedo FC also secured their qualification to the Concacaf Caribbean Cup 2026. For their part, Cibao FC had already obtained their international ticket after winning the LDF Cup 2025, while Atlético Pantoja advanced to the CFU Caribbean Shield 2026 as the winner of the regular season.
The halftime show was performed by the typical merengue artist El Prodigio, who entertained the thousands of fans present in Santiago.
