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Sandy • Coach Jason Kreis and his Real Salt Lake players had insisted they would be thrilled simply to win their home game against Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica, in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semfinal series on Tuesday night.

But it was clear they wanted more than that.

Slamming its foot on the gas pedal from the moment the referee blew the opening whistle, RSL overwhelmed "The Purple Monster" with speed, fury and flair — using goals by Alvaro Saborio and the tireless Fabian Espindola to secure a 2-0 victory in front of 16,888 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium that extended its home unbeaten streak to 35 games in all competitions.

"We had to be aggressive, had to have the right mindset," midfielder Will Johnson said. "Had to take advantage of this home field, which we did."

The two-goal victory means that a win or draw in the return leg of the two-game series in San Jose on April 5 will send RSL through to the tournament championship against either Cruz Azul or Monterrey of Mexico.

Even a two-goal loss would do it, so long as RSL scores.

"We can't let them score" in that game, Saprissa coach Juan Manuel Alvarez said through a translator.

While Alvarez said his players were "distracted" and "let Salt Lake do their thing" in the opening minutes, Kreis was elated to see his team "jump all over them" like a dog that just spotted the cat.

"We gave them no space to breathe," Kreis said.

Defender Nat Borchers would have opened the scoring with a flying header in the sixth minute, had the goal not been disallowed by a foul in the box. But before that could turn into a letdown for RSL, Saborio took a pass from Espindola near the top of the box and fired low past goalkeeper Victor Bolivar.

It was his eighth goal in Champions League play — and his first against his beloved former club, for which he scored 95 times in five years before taking his career abroad.

"It's OK," he said with a shrug. "But we have to win, and we have to focus on our team. That's it."

Kreis complained that RSL eased up too much in the second part of the first half.

"We lost the script a little bit," he said.

But his defense held firm, with goalkeeper Nick Rimando making some big saves to keep from allowing Saprissa a crucial away goal, even with reigning Major League Soccer defender of the year Jamison Olave coming out at halftime with a strained right hamstring that Kreis feared was serious.

"The objective was to win the game," Rimando said. "Don't give any goals up, and that's exactly what we did. We got an extra goal, which is always good going into a hostile environment at Saprissa."

Espindola enjoyed his reward for his characteristically furious effort in the 57th minute, when he pulled down a sublime pass from midfielder Andy Williams, cut back at the top of the box and shot past Bolivar for the insurance goal. —

Storylines

R IN SHORT • RSL beats Saprissa 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal series.

KEY STAT • RSL has not lost in 35 straight home games in all competitions.

KEY MOMENT • Alvaro Saborio gives RSL the lead in the ninth minute, just moments after ref disallows goal by teammate Nat Borchers.