Courtesy:
CONCACAF.comCosta Rica, Mexico seal Futsal WC berthsGUATEMALA CITY -- Jorge Arias scored three goals and Costa Rica qualified for this year's FIFA Futsal World Cup with a 7-1 rout of St. Kitts & Nevis in a CONCACAF Futsal Championship encounter on Wednesday at the Domo Polideportivo.
In addition to securing a place in Thailand, the win also means that Costa Rica advances to the CONCACAF semifinals as one of the top two teams from Group B.The final group positions will be determined after Cuba meets Mexico later today.
"We played well today with all my teammates and we dedicate this to all of Costa Rica that rooted us on, our families and the entire group of coaches that supported us during this tournament," said Costa Rica's Michael Cordoba, who scored the game's first goal."It is a pleasure to be part of this group."
The Ticos were dominant throughout and Cordoba opened their goal account in the 9th minute, slotting home a picture-perfect cross from the right by Aaron Jerez.
After Jose Guevara doubled Costa Rica's advantage a minute later, Jason Lake scored St. Kitts & Nevis' only goal of the game in the 13th minute.
The Central Americans, however, replied quickly and regained the two-goal cushion thanks to a 16th minute own-goal by Javeim Blanchette, who diverted a cross past goalkeeper Byron Akil.
Three minutes before the break, Arias claimed the first of his three goals.
Costa Rica started the second half as strong as it competed in the first.
In the 24th minute, the outstanding Jerez dribbled down the middle before laying off a pass to Arias on the left.The 28-year-old made no mistake with an emphatic finish from close range.
Jerez would get a goal of his own in the 32nd minute, while Arias completed his hat-trick with a strike one minute before the final whistle.
Cuba 1, Mexico 5Mexico clinched its first trip to the Futsal World Cup, beating Cuba 5-1 on Wednesday to qualify for the FIFA event and advance to the semifinals of the CONCACAF championship.
With the result, the Tricolor and Costa Rica finished level at seven points atop the CONCACAF Futsal Championship's Group B standings.The Central Americans, however, claimed first place on goal difference.Both teams must wait for the completion of Group A play tonight to discover their next opponents.
From the flow of the game's opening moments, it was difficult to imagine that Mexico would win by such a convincing score.Both teams appeared ready for an epic CONCACAF futsal battle, but the Tricolor got on the scoreboard first.
Ramon Raya's squad bolted ahead in the 6th minute.Morgan Plata scored with a deft left-footed touch off a pass from the lively Miguel Limon.
Two minutes later, Carlos Ramirez extended Mexico's advantage, taking the ball at midcourt, driving forward and beating Cuban goalkeeper Wilfredo Carbo for his second goal of the tournament.
The Caribbean side fought back and was rewarded for its persistence, when Eduardo Morales tapped in from close range after Mexican goalkeeper Alonso Saavedra dropped a ball in front of his own net.
Following the break, with everything to play for, the players emerged from their locker rooms in determined moods.
A goal by Mexico's Diego Estanislao in the 26th minute, though, hit at the heart of Cuba's resolve.Ramirez dribbled straight up the middle and slipped a pass to a waiting Estanislao on the left, who needed only a single touch to find the back of the next
Adrian Gonzalez and Giovanni Lopez netted goals in the 35th and 36th minutes, respectively, giving Mexico all the insurance it would need in order to book its journey to Thailand.
For Cuba, its run of four-consecutive runner-up finishes in the competition came to an end and it was the most goals it conceded in a CONCACAF futsal game since a 7-3 loss to United States in the 1996 final.
Courtesy:
CONCACAF.comGuatemala, Panama earn Futsal WC spotsGUATEMALA CITY - Guatemala defeated the United States 2-1 to qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup and claim a place in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Futsal Championship.
The result presented multiple implications.It gave Guatemala the Group A title with a perfect nine points from three games, eliminated the Americans, and ensured that Panama - which defeated Canada 8-5 earlier in the evening to reach the six-point mark - qualified for the World Cup and progressed in the confederation event.
Alan Aguilar's goal in the 34th minute broke a 1-1 stalemate and proved to be the catalyst that extended Guatemala's unbeaten streak in the competition to eight-consecutive games.
The encounter, played before a partisan crowd at the Domo Polideportivo, was a tight affair.Guatemala only needed a draw to move on, but the U.S. had to win.
The defending champion took a 4th minute lead off a beautifully crafted sequence that concluded with Rafael Gonzalez's remarkable spinning flick, which eluded U.S. goalkeeper Danny Waltman.
Matthew Stewart used his experience to equalize six minutes later, knocking in a rebound off a shot from Bato Radoncic that crashed off the left post.
After the interval, both sides had opportunities to score, but tight defenses and good goalkeeping governed play.
Patience was the order of the day and it paid dividends for Guatemala in the 34th minute.Tidy passing from the Chapines resulted in a shot that was initially saved by Waltman.The ball became loose and a grateful Aguilar slammed it home to send the home supporters into an unbridled celebration.
In the semifinals on Friday, Guatemala will face Group B runner-up Mexico and Group B winner Costa Rica will meet Panama.
Panama 8, Canada 5Oscar Hinks scored three goals and Panama defeated Canada 8-5 on Wednesday to keep its hope of earning a place at the FIFA Futsal World Cup alive. The action-packed encounter was the highest-scoring game of the CONCACAF Futsal Championship thus far.
The victory leaves the Canaleros with six points from three Group A games, forcing them to wait on the outcome of the Guatemala-United States encounter, which will be played later this evening.A win by the U.S. would leave all three teams even atop the group standings, while Canada is no longer in contention.
Hinks got the ball rolling for Panama in the 2nd minute, calmly finishing a well-timed pass from Alquis Alvarado.
The Maple Leafs responded with a pair of rapid goals in the 7th and 8th minutes by Steve De Blasio to take a 2-1 lead.
Five minutes later, Panama equalized, taking advantage of a Canadian turnover at midcourt. Alvarado transitioned quickly from defense to offense and found Miguel Lasso, who hit the target..
In the 18th minute, Hinks gave Panama a lead it would never relinquish.The 26-year-old attempted what appeared to be a tame shot. The effort spun up on Canadian goalkeeper Joshua Lemos and popped in the air. As he was falling backwards, Lemos could only swat at the ball with a faint touch before it crossed the line.
Lasso netted his second goal of the night and sixth of the tournament in the 20th minute.
Seconds later, Claudio Goodridge took advantage of a straying Lemos and rolled a shot from midcourt into the net.
With the final kick of the half, Matthew Rios gave Canada new life, converting a penalty kick.
Two minutes after the interval, Rios scored again to cut Panama's lead to 5-4.
Panama would then go on a tear, scoring three straight goals.Carlos Perez netted a brace in the 26th and 36th minutes, only interrupted by a third for Hinks in the 33rd.
Alvaro Yaques added a consolation for the North Americans with two minutes left on the clock.
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Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
