Matchday 5 of Semifinal Round as it happened
Matchday 5 of the Semifinal Round is now over. Here are the final results:
[Group 1] Trinidad & Tobago 2-1 USA
[Group 1] Cuba 2-1 Guatemala
[Group 2] Jamaica 1-0 Honduras
[Group 2] Canada 2-2 Mexico
[Group 3] El Salvador 3-0 Suriname
[Group 3] Costa Rica 2-0 Haiti
Commentaries under the jump.
Well that's it for Matchday 5 of the semifinal round. Three teams are in the Hexagonal, and the remainder will be decided next month. To be honest, I would much rather be in T&T's and Mexico's position better than that of Jamaica, Guatemala or Honduras. Thanks for reading...chau!
A lackluster victory by the Costa Ricans which will be heavily critiqued in the morning.
2058: FULL TIME Costa Rica 2-0 Haiti
2057: GOAL Costa Rica 2-0 Haiti (90'+1)
Víctor Núñez gets the home side back into their supporters' good graces, after converting a cross from Bryan Ruíz.
2053: El Salvador return to the Hexagonal for the first time in 11 years. And the news is greeted with a crescendo of noise and fireworks at Cuscatlán. Carlos de los Cobos is embraced by the head of El Salvador's football federation. The players embrace in a huddle at midfield.
2053: FULL TIME El Salvador 3-0 Suriname
2049: It's been a straightforward group for El Salvador, but what a great effort to secure a spot in the Hex. Remember, this team was down 0-2 on aggregate to Panama with twenty minutes to go in the second leg.
2048: It's gotten so bad at Saprissa that the partisan Costa Rican crowd is shouting Olé when the Haitian players pass the ball around. There will be a lot of recriminations in the press after this performance tonight.
2044: GOAL El Salvador 3-0 Suriname (80')
A cross from Castillo is turned into the net by Suriname defender Derrick Garden for an own goal. And El Salvador are on their way to the Hexagonal.
2040: Haiti have had their chances to equalize, but have not been able to convert. Costa Rica are in coast mode.
2037: Okay, some excitement...in the El Salvador game, Eliseo Quintanilla, the creative midfielder was substituted and replaced by William Alegría. Quintanilla did not think too highly of that, refused to acknowledge his teammate upon reaching the touchline, and headed straight for the dressing room. Carlos de los Cobos will certainly take a dim view of that action.
2026: Sorry for the lack of updates on the two matches, but there's not much to talk about in either one. One match is all but over, and the other doesn't matter.
2017: I'm watching the highlights of the Jamaica-Honduras and Cuba-Guatemala qualifiers. Fantastic goal by Shelton, from a really tight angle. The through ball was delicious as well. As for Cuba-Guatemala, the set-pieces came back to bite them.
2008: The second half in the final two matches have started.
1959: FULL TIME Canada 2-2 Mexico
1957: Mexico have a free kick about 25 meters from the goal. Looks like they could get the point they need. The free kick is skied over the bar by Guardado, but it's not going to matter.
1957: They said three minutes of stoppage time but I think they'll add one or two more because of the injury to Hastings.
1954: Into stoppage time at Edmonton. Mexico advancing down the left, Salcido puts in a great cross, and Hastings and Hirschfeld collide trying to clear the ball. Hastings is down, I thought he was unconscious but he's running off the field. Not sure if Canada will make a substitution.
1952: HALF TIME El Salvador 2-0 Suriname
HALF TIME Costa Rica 1-0 Haiti
1950: You know, even if Mexico lose it's not the end of the world for them. What would stop Mexico and Honduras from pulling an Austria-Germany next month? They have a much greater goal difference than Jamaica.
1948: What a thrilling finale in Edmonton!
1947: Oh wow. Another great through ball over the top by Gerba finds Radzinski all alone, he pokes it past Sánchez...and past the outside of the near post.
1946: Into the final stages of the first half in El Salvador and Costa Rica, and both home sides are well in control.
1944: Ah so that's where Sammy Sadovnik went. I was missing him on GolTV. Yes, I know I'm the last to know.
1942: Canada are playing the spoiler role to the hilt. They are playing for all three points. Bernier's left-footed effort fell just outside the far post. And another through ball was just too far.
1942: Almost disaster for Mexico. Paul Staltieri unleashes a fierce shot from outside the area that cannons off the crossbar.
1938: There might be a 2-3 second delay between the audio and video on Telemundo's broadcast. It explains Andrés Cantor screaming a goal seconds before the ball actually enters the net.
1935: It may be a world away from Mexico, but the Mexican fans inside Commonwealth Stadium are making themselves heard. At worst it's a 50-50 crowd.
1932: GOAL El Salvador 2-0 Suriname (26')
Eliseo Quintanilla doubles El Salvador's lead on a long-distance shot. And that should secure El Salvador's place in the Hexagonal.
1931: There was a clear foul in the box on Mexico, but because the offside flag was raised in that instant, Canada did not receive a penalty. Very tense right now...
1928: GOAL Canada 2-2 Mexico (63')
Matías Vuoso, off a center by dos Santos, puts Mexico level again with the Canadians. Canada were caught out on that counter.
1928: GOAL El Salvador 1-0 Suriname (11')
Rodolfo Zelaya gets El Salvador's first.
1927: GOAL Costa Rica 1-0 Haiti (16')
Junior Díaz opens the scoring for the ticos.
1921: A Mexico corner finds dos Santos, whose shot is headed for the upper part of the goal but for a timely punch by Hirschfeld. The Cluj 'keeper has played very well tonight.
1921: I'm not paying much attention to the matches in Group 3 right now. Hope you don't mind.
1915: Radzinski received a yellow card for taking off his shirt to celebrate. I think the pneumonia he's about to pick up will be punishment enough.
1913: GOAL Canada 2-1 Mexico (50')
Tomasz Radzinski is at the end of a fantastic counterattack that catches Mexico totally exposed. Great pass by Gerba to a streaking Radzinski who pokes it into the net past Sánchez.
1911: The second half has resumed in Edmonton.
1906: The T&T fans are in the stands and the confirmation of the Cuba-Guatemala result has filtered through. Lots of dancing and drum playing by the supporters, who are just a point away from the Hexagonal.
1904: What an amazing result, and a blow for Cuban pride. Guatemala choked. There are no other words to explain it.
1904: FULL TIME Cuba 2-1 Guatemala
1903: T&T get their first win against the USA since 1994, and the first ever time in a World Cup qualifier.
1903: FULL TIME Trinidad & Tobago 2-1 USA
1900: And just to confirm that Canada and Mexico are at halftime. No, they didn't play a ton of stoppage time. T&T-USA are in stoppage time right now.
1858: GOAL Cuba 2-1 Guatemala (89')
They did score again! And it's Allianni Urguelles who got it!
1857: FULL TIME Jamaica 1-0 Honduras
1856: Jamaica-Honduras and Cuba-Guatemala are in stoppage time. Jamaica just defending right now.
1854: Big roar from the T&T crowd. Did Cuba score again?
1852: GOAL Cuba 1-1 Guatemala (79')
It's Marco Papa who scores the equalizer for Guatemala. But that's not going to be enough, Guatemala absolutely need a second goal.
1851: That's the first goal Yorke has scored against the USA.
1849: GOAL Trinidad & Tobago 2-1 USA (79')
Dwight Yorke scores a scorching penalty -- it punches a hole in the net! -- past Brad Guzan.
1848: It was a shirt pull on Hislop by Altidore.
1848: PENALTY TO TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
1845: GOAL Trinidad & Tobago 1-1 USA (75')
What a goal built upon physicality and determination. Adu on the left finds Altidore along the left flank, he powers through a couple of Trinidadian defenders, slots the ball through several bodies in the box, and it finds Charlie Davies who deflects it into the net.
1842: GOAL Canada 1-1 Mexico (35')
On a free kick, Carlos Salcido gets a valuable equalizer for Mexico. It may have been an own goal; it definitely took a deflection (Bernier?) as it passed through the wall.
1841: There is the effect of Guardado on the Mexican team. A cross from the left almost finds Carlos Vela in the area, but Lars Hirschfeld is there to punch the ball away.
1838: What is Giovani dos Santos doing with the ball in the middle of the field? Not good at all for Mexico.
1836: Very cold night in Edmonton. Mexico do not look comfortable at all.
1833: T&T are now in the driving seat for the second position. And Latapy narrowly missed the second goal for T&T.
1831: GOAL Trinidad & Tobago 1-0 USA (60')
It's Russell Latapy who puts the Caribbean islanders in the lead, off some great work down the right channel by Edwards and an excellent cross.
1827: GOAL Canada 1-0 Mexico
Oooh!! Ali Gerba opened the scoring for the Canadians, and as things stand Group 2 is wide open!
1824: A dangerous corner for Trinidad & Tobago, the USA defenders fail to clear it properly, and the ball finds Jason Scotland on the left but he's not able to connect his foot to it.
1821: Jaime Colome scored for Cuba on a penalty just before stoppage time, and Luton Shelton scored for Jamaica in the 16th minute (the radio commentators said that it was a great goal).
1820: All of the other matches are in the second half.
1818: Altidore was just whistled for being in an offside position, but looking at the replay it wasn't even close. He was very much on.
1815: USA and Trinidad & Tobago are back on the field for the second half. It's a good crowd at the stadium. Now underway.
1811: Well as you can tell, I wasn't able to wake up early enough today. It's halftime in the early matches, and all of the results have Hexagonal implications. What a result in Cuba!
Either that or Andrés Cantor... can see things before they happen.
Posted by: Joe | October 15, 2008 at 07:41 PM