Group C take a rest day as Group B’s Trinidad and Tobago and Panama qualify for the next round
Second victories and losses in the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship Puerto Vallarta on day two send two teams to the quarter-finals and three teams out of the tournament.
Trinidad and Tobago and Panama are into the quarter-finals after reaching six points in the first two matches of their group campaigns, while hosts Mexico are on the brink of joining them.
US Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and Jamaica are now out of the running for FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification.
It was Group C’s turn to sit out on the day two battles, while El Salvador and Guadeloupe took three points apiece as Group D joined the fray.
After the fates Jamaica was decide on day two, the fight for the quarter-final places in now between Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica, as the final day of the group stages awaits…
Guadeloupe v Belize (Group D)
Guadeloupe finished nine places above Belize in the last Concacaf qualifiers in Bahamas, and had been within striking distance of a World Cup place, were it not for a 3-0 defeat to Mexico in the semi-finals.
But it was Belize who drew first blood, when Evan Mariano converted to make it 1-0. The men in blue and white were mounting a second dangerous attack when Bordelai nicked the ball from the striker and blasted in a low equalizer with four minutes of the first period still to play.
The match was all square at the first whistle, but Guadeloupe caught their rivals off guard after the restart with an indirect freekick which Breter tucked away to grab the lead. Belize had been wasteful in the chances they created and Bordelai punished them when he buried a his second from distance.
It was only a matter of time before the last Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship’s Top Scorer, Marlon Meza, opened his account, and he did so in style with an unstoppable freekick, reducing Guadeloupe’s lead to 3-2 at the second break.
At the restart, Raymond Ramos surged down the ring flank, beating two defenders to hit number three and Belize were level again. Meza grabbed the lead for Dennis Dale Serrano’s men midway through the final period and having been two goals behind Belize were suddenly looking the more likely of the two to see the game out and claim Group D’s first points.
Wayne Ford sped forward to muscle the ball from the defender and drive a high shot across the keeper to make it five, and he nearly had another but an unlucky bobble saw the ball bounce harmlessly over the crossbar.
The momentum was stemmed when Sebastien Hell reacted quickest amongst some defensive confusion in the Belize penalty area to make it 4-5. He struck again not long after with a powerful header at the near post, leveling up with just two minutes on the clock.
In what had become a rollercoaster of a match-up, Guadeloupe managed to regain control of the game when Mezence netted in the final minute, then with 16 seconds left, Bordelai completed his hat-trick to make it 7-5.
In one final twist, Meza scored his third directly from the kick off, but it was too little too late as Guadeloupe take three points from their opening game.
Goals: 0-1: Mariano, min. 5 (1); 1-1: Bordelai, min. 4 (1); 2-1: Breter, min. 10 (2); 3-1: Bordelai, min. 2 (2); 3-2: Meza, min. 0 (2); 3-3: Ramos, min. 11 (3); 3-4: Meza, min. 6 (3); 3-5: Ford, min. 4 (3); 4-5: Hell, min. 3 (3); 5-5: Hell, min. 2 (3); 6-5: Mezence, min. 1 (3); 7-5: Bordelai, min. 0 (3); 7-6: Meza, min. 0 (3);
Trinidad & Tobago v US Virgin Islands (Group B)
US Virgin Islands suffered a heavy defeat to the last edition’s finalists, Panama, in the opening game yesterday, and things didn’t start too well them on day two either, as a fine Woodley shot opened the scoring in the first period.
Rakeem Joseph equalized a minute later though, meeting a cross to side-foot a volley past Coker.
Trinidad and Tobago retook the lead when a loose ball fell to Bailey and he smashed it against the upright giving the keeper no chance.
A response came once again from the US Virgin Islands, as the scorer of their only goal yesterday, Joseph Leto, doubled his tournament tally with a perfect penalty, but with just two seconds of the opening period left King hit a penalty too, making it 3-2 to Trinidad and Tobago at the break.
A scramble in the penalty area midway through the second period saw King poke in goal number two, and almost immediately after, Woodley pushed the Trinbagonian advantage to three-goals when keeper Curtis palmed his powerful shot high into the air, only to see it bounced over his own line.
Bailey converted a close-range freekick to make it seven and the six minutes left until the end of the match were not enough for Ruy da Silva’s men to mount a comeback. At the final whistle the score stood at 7-2, as Trinidad and Tobago take six point out of six sending them straight into the quarter-finals while, having yet to pick up their first point in Puerto Vallarta, US Virgin Islands are out of the running for FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification.
Goals: 1-0: Woodley, min. 9 (1); 1-1: Joseph, min. 8 (1); 2-1: Bailey, min. 3 (1); 2-2: Leto, min. 1 (1); 3-2: King, min. 1 (1); 4-2: King, min. 6 (2); 5-2: Woodley, min. 6 (2); 6-2: Woodley, min. 4 (2); 7-2: Bailey, min. 6 (3);
Costa Rica v Guatemala (Group A)
On the second day of beach soccer action in Puerto Vallarta, Costa Rica were looking to make it two wins out of two against Guatemala, who were still in search of their first points.
The Guatemalans started the stronger of the two sides, getting off the mark with a beautiful team goal that was eventually slotted away by Gonzalez. They held onto the lead all the way until the first break.
The goalkeepers were kept busy to maintain the score intact but the Costa Rican increased the pressure and eventually an impressive overhead from Calero broke the deadlock and Jefferson Martins’ men were level.
The match may have been low-scoring but it was far from dull, as flashes of brilliant teamplay frequently threatened to unbalance the scoreline but defensive acrobatics and goal-line scrambling kept the strikers at bay.
When the next goal finally did come, it was an Angel Saenz penalty. Within the same minute, though, Xavier Jimenez went on a blistering run to round the last defender and pound the ball into the top corner, putting Costa Rica back on level terms.
The match continued in this way, with Guatemala taking the lead and Costa Rica stubbornly closing the gap. A second Gonzalez goal was cancelled out by Espinoza, but Moran was on hand to put away an arrowed freekick from distance and then the lead was extended to 3-5 when Saenz flew out of defense to power a low shot past the keeper.
For the first time there was a two-goal cushion between the teams and time was against the Costa Ricans. Guatemala held off their rivals and their effective ball retention resulted in the referee reaching for his cards on several occasions as tensions rose.
There was time to reduce the gap one last time as a Sanchez freekick forced Carlos Hurtarte in the Guatemala goal to swipe the ball into his own net. But they hung on to their slender lead to leapfrog Costa Rica into poll position in Group A.
Goals: 0-1: M. Gonzalez, min. 9 (1); 1-1: Calero, min. 9 (2); 1-2: Saenz, min. 2 (2); 2-2: Jimenez, min. 2 (2); 2-2: Jimenez, min. 2 (2); 2-3: M. Gonzalez, min. 11 (3); 3-3: Espinoza, min. 9 (3); 3-4: Moran, min. 8 (3); 3-5: Saenz, min. 8 (3); 4-5: Hurtarte, min. 1 (3);
Guyana v El Salvador (Group D)
Guyana’s first match saw them take on one of the last edition’s semi-finalists in their opening attempt at points. Portillo the portero opened the scoring for El Salvador, starting the tie on the front foot.
But being a goal ahead didn’t last long as, Shane Luckie swiveled to hit a low shot from a tight angle to equalize. Ramos found the net to retake the lead with only minutes of the first period left but, even though they had their noses in front, it was clear that three points were not going to come easily against opponents as stubborn as Guyana.
Jamal Haynes leveled the match up with a superbly struck freekick but it only took two minutes for the Salvadorians to score again, this time through Exon Perdomo.
It seemed like El Salvador had finally begun to shake off their rivals when Agustín Ruiz hit a low volley in at the near post to push the advantage to 2-4 and then Batres added another almost immediately after.
But the kick off from El Salvador’s last goal provided what could quite possibly be the goal of the tournament as Haynes rose high to bicycle kick a shot past the stranded keeper. The Guyanans had disrupted the momentum of the men in blue, and Archibald found space to score number four and bring them within a single goal of their rivals once more.
As the third period approached, the side who just missed out on a place at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in the last edition showed that they weren’t playing around and strikes from Archibald and Ramos restored a three-goal cushion.
Perdomo netted his second to make it 4-8 and El Salvador looked more dominant in possession with every passing minute, which eventually ran down to give Rudis Gonzalez Gallo’s men an initial three points at the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship Puerto Vallarta.
Goals: 0-1: Portillo, min. 10 (1); 1-1: Luckie, min. 5 (1); 1-2: Ramos, min. 4 (1); 2-2: Haynes, min. 10 (2); 2-3: Perdomo, min. 8 (2); 2-4: Ruiz, min. 8 (2); 2-5: Batres, min. 6 (2); 3-5: Haynes, min. 6 (2); 4-5: Archibald, min. 4 (2); 4-6: Ramos, min. 3 (2); 4-7: Batres, min. 0 (2); 4-8: Perdomo, min. 7 (3);
Panama v Turks and Caicos Islands (Group B)
Turks and Caicos Islands had suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago in the first match in Mexico and if they wanted to keep any hope of playing at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup they had to beat the current holders of the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship, Panama.
The reigning champions piled on the pressure from the starting whistle, but the Turks and Caicos Islanders kept them at bay effectively for the opening 11 minutes of the match, before Eliecer Garcia latched on to a laid off pass from the last edition’s MVP, Maquensi, to slot in the opener.
The assister got his goal next though, but he had to wait until the second period of play when his deflected hit flew into the net. But having controlled long period of play and created many chances, Panama were not as clinical as they could have been and a two-goal lead is always a precarious one in beach soccer.
Another goal did come though, as Maquensi completed his brace from the penalty spot to make it three. Now Panama were looking very dangerous, and Garcia bagged a brace of his own as the game neared the midway point.
Rafael Garcia drove down the right wing to power an unstoppable shot into the top corner, making it five goals to Panama with less than a minute of the second period to go.
There were still seconds enough for Herby Magny to convert a freekick from impressive distance, and Turks and Caicos Islands went into the final period railing by five goals to one.
Maquensi volleyed a beautiful shot with the outside of his foot to restore a five-goal lead as the final period got underway and elimination from the competition was staring the powerless Turks and Caicos Island in the face.
Panama turned the screw as Rafael Garcia glided into the box to nod in a Maquensi throw, and a few minutes later he completed his hat-trick by forcing some space to get a shot away from the left wing.
The final whistle blew at 8-1, confirming Panama’s passage to the quarter-finals along with groupmates Trinidad and Tobago, while Turks and Caicos Islands are knocked out of the running along with US Virgin Islands.
Goals: 1-0: E. Garcia, min. 1 (1); 2-0: Maquensi, min. 10 (2); 3-0: Maquensi, min. 8 (2); 4-0: E. Garcia, min. 7 (2); 5-0: Rafael Garcia, min. 0 (2); 5-1: Magny, min. 0 (2); 6-1: Maquensi, min. 11 (3); 7-1: E. Rafael Garcia, min. 8 (3); 8-1: E. Rafael Garcia, min. 1 (3);
Mexico v Jamaica (Group A)
The hosts had an opportunity at the end of day two, to all but secure passage to the quarter-finals. But first they needed to dispatch a powerful Jamaican team.
However, if Jamaica managed to win, then it would open the group right up, with each team sitting on three points.
Aware of the high stakes, neither nation was willing to commit to rash forward play in the opening period, so much so that the first 12 minutes didn’t see a goal, in part thanks to both goalkeepers’ heroics.
When the opening goal finally did come, in the early stages of the second period, it was undoubtedly one of the goals of the day, as the Mexican keeper Villaseñor sent the ball whistling the length of the pitch straight past his opposite number, and into the net.
As the game continued he tried the long shot a few more times but Edsel Scott was equal to them and kept the Mexican keeper from repeating the trick.
The post also did its bit to help the men in green, as Maldonado drove a powerful overhead effort crashing against the upright, much to the relief of the Jamaican keeper.
He was beaten again though, this time by Ulises Torres who sent the big Jamaican the wrong way to double the hosts’ advantage. The third period started with Mexico pushing forward more, clearly feeling comfortable with the lead they had, and Mosco made a twisting run into the box to score a brilliant individual goal.
Vizcarra then buried a sublime freekick from distance but straight from the kick-off, Anderson scored an even more impressive strike to leave the as of yet impeccable Villaseñor, totally helpless.
Andre Reid’s men were now off the mark and Mexico had a job on their hand to make sure they didn’t score again
The final whistle heralded heartbreak for the eliminated Jamaica, and exuberance for Mexico, who are in touching distance of the quarter-finals.
Goals: 1-0: Villaseñor, min. 11 (2); 2-0: Torres, min. 2 (2); 3-0: Mosco, min. 10 (3); 4-0: Vizcarra, min. 5 (3); 4-1: Anderson, min. 5 (3);
Yesterday’s results
Monday 13th May
10:45 – Bahamas 7-4 Antigua and Barbuda (Group C)
12:00 – Trinidad & Tobago 6-0 Turks and Caicos Islands (Group B)
14:15 – Costa Rica 4-2 Jamaica (Group A)
15:30 – US Virgin Islands 1-8 Panama (Group B)
16:45 – Bonaire 1-14 USA (Group C)
18:00 – Guatemala 0-4 Mexico (Group A)
Today’s results
Tuesday 14th May
10:45 – Guadeloupe 7-6 Belize (Group D)
12:00 – Trinidad & Tobago 7-2 US Virgin Islands (Group B)
14:15 – Costa Rica 4-5 Guatemala (Group A)
15:30 – Guyana 4-8 El Salvador (Group D)
16:45 – Panama 8-1 Turks and Caicos Islands (Group B)
18:00 – Mexico 4-1 Jamaica (Group A)
Tomorrow’s fixtures
Wednesday 15th May
10:45 – Guadeloupe v Guyana (Group D)
12:00 – Bahamas v Bonaire (Group C)
14:15 – Jamaica v Guatemala (Group A)
15:30 – USA v Antigua and Barbuda (Group C)
16:45 – El Salvador v Belize (Group D)
18:00 – Mexico v Costa Rica (Group A)
Stay up to date with the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship Puerto Vallarta 2019 on the Beach Soccer Worldwide and Concacaf websites.
