Guatemala moves back into group contention after 1-0 win over El Salvador

Jose Contreras scored in the 69th minute for Guatemala to pace Los Chapines to a 1-0 win over rival El Salvador. With the win, Guatemala moves into a tie with El Salvador on three points in the group standings. The game was a physical contest from the outset as 8 yellow cards were shown in the game.

Guatemala 1, El Salvador 0

08/JUN/2007- Jose Contreras scored in the 69th minute for Guatemala to pace Los Chapines to a 1-0 win over rival El Salvador. With the win, Guatemala moves into a tie with El Salvador on three points in the group standings. The game was a physical contest from the outset as 8 yellow cards were shown in the game.

Fans filed into the Home Depot Center early, nearly filling the stadium to capacity for the Group B opener between Guatemala and El Salvador. The Central American neighbors share a fierce rivalry on the field and it was demonstrated by the fans whose screams and whistles filled the air throughout the contest.

It was the Guatemalan faithful that had more to cheer about in the early going, as Los Chapines put the pressure on early and in just the fourth minute Carlos Ruiz was threatening the net. Ruiz found himself free about thirty yards from goal and hit a screamer that just over the crossbar.

A few minutes later Ruiz missed two golden opportunities. The El Salvadorian defense was having horrible communication problems, and when a pair of defenders watched a ball roll in-between them it allowed Ruiz to walk in alone on goal. Thankfully for Los Cheros, Juan Gomez came up with a huge save on Ruiz.

The rebound caromed all the way out to the midfield where Carlos Figueroa collected it for Guatemala and played it back into Ruiz. Ruiz turned and fired from point blank range, but Figueroa was up to the challenge again, making another fine save.

As the game progressed, referee Javier Juaregui made it clear he was going to call a tight game going to his pocket five times in the first half to reach for yellow cards; Guatemala picking up three cautions to El Salvador’s two. The physical nature of the game limited the scoring chances for both teams. Communication problems continued to plague El Salvador, but Guatemala failed to make a serious threat on the goal.

The next couple of scoring chances went in favor of El Salvador. In the 32nd minute Eliseo Quintanilla weaved through a pair of defenders and worked his way into a scoring position. Quintanilla could only manage a weak left footed effort that was easily saved by Ricardo Trigueno.

Three minutes later El Salvador worked their best scoring chance of the half. Juan Campos collected the ball in the penalty area and held it up with his back to goal. Campos laid the ball back to Dennis Alas who fired high from the edge of the 18.

The lack of communication in the back finally came back to haunt El Salvador in the 38th minute. El Salvadorian defender Alexander Escobar and ‘keeper Gomez collided with Figueroa while chasing down a loose ball. Gomez went down in a heap and eventually had to be carted off on a stretcher, and subbed out of the game.

Both teams went into the locker room deadlocked at zeroes on the scoreboard but it was Guatemala who remained the aggressors, working two corner kicks in the opening minutes of the second half. On the second corner, second half sub Marvin Avila directed a header goal bound only to watch it get cleared off the line by a well placed defender.

Like the first half, physical play dominated the action and limited the scoring chances. In the 60th minute, Quintanilla squirted free on the right flank and dribbled into the penalty area. From the top corner of the box, Quintanilla shot, but again lacked the required accuracy, missing high.

Guatemala finally broke the deadlock in the 69th minute thanks to the boot of Jose Contreras. The El Salvadorian defense failed to clear their penalty area. A series of balls knocked straight up into the air eventually fell at the edge of the penalty area. Contreras was first to the ball and hit a full volley right into the lower corner of the net to open the scoring.

The goal ignited the offense, and in the 73rd minute, Guatemala won a free kick right in the middle of the field from 25 yards out. Contreras stepped up to the ball, and curled a freekick over the wall that banged off of the post, missing by mere inches.

With the win, Guatemala has blown Group B wide open, and gave their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament a serious boost. Guatemala will close out group play against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, while El Salvador will most likely need some sort of result against the US on the same day if they want any hope of moving on in the competition.

GUATEMALA – EL SALVADOR 1:0 (0:0)

Jose CONTRERAS (Dwight PEZZAROSSI) 68’

GUA: 1-Ricardo Trigueno - 2–Leonel Noriega, 3–Pablo Melgar, 5–Henry Medina, 6–Gustavo Cabrera-C, 7–Claudio Albizuris, 8–Jose Contreras, 12–Carlos Figueroa (57: 17-Dwight Pezzarossi), 18–Carlos Quinones, 19–Mario Rodríguez (46: 11–Marvin Avila), 20–Carlos Ruiz (79: 27–Jairo Arreola).

Booked: Albizuris 27’, Quinones 45’+, Figueroa 45’+, Trigueno 89’

TD: Hernan Dario GOMEZ

SLV: 1–Juan Gomez-C (44: 22–Dagoberto Gamero) - 2–Leonel Guevara, 5–Jose Henriquez, 7-Victor Merino (13: 23-Jose Martinez), 9–Juan Campos, 11–Ronald Cerritos (78: 20–Francisco Alvarez), 14–Ramon Sanchez, 17–Dennis Alas, 18–Alexander Escobar, 19–Alfredo Pacheco, 21- Eliseo Quintanilla.

Booked: Henriquez 5’, Sanchez 16’, Martinez 55’, Quintanilla 86’

TD: Carlos DE LOS COBOS

Statistics/Estadísticas GUA SLV

Goal Attempts/Tiros Totales 14 9

Saves/Atajadas 1 6

Fouls/Faltas 22 24

Corners/Tiros de Esquina 5 4

Offsides/Fuera de Lugar 2 2

R: Javier JAUREGUI (ANT)

A1: Jose Luis CAMARGO (MEX)

A2: Hector DELGADILLO (MEX)

FO: Benito ARCHUNDIA (MEX)

Miller Lite Player of the Match: Jose CONTRERAS (GUA)

Terra/Concacaf