Mexico, Guatemala, USA, Bahamas, El Salvador and Guadeloupe make quarter-finals of Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship Puerto Vallarta
With one day of group stage action still to be played here in Puerto Vallarta, the teams who have qualified for the next round of the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship have been decided.
The final day will decide the finishing positions and therefore quarter-final opposition – make sure you don’t miss that!
Mexico, Guatemala, USA, Bahamas, El Salvador and Guadeloupe all made the quarter-final on day three in Puerto Vallarta, joining Trinidad and Tobago and Panama, who had qualified the day before.
As a result, the teams out of the running for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019 are: Costa Rica, Jamaica, US Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Bonaire, Guyana and Belize.
Guadeloupe v Guyana (Group D)
Guyana had failed to collect any points form their opening match against a superior Salvadorian side but would draw level with Guadeloupe should they beat them in normal time today, to keep hopes of playing at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup alive.
A double from Hell the previous day, however, had grabbed a last-minute three points from Belize, and it was Guadeloupe who started on the front foot in this match, when Geolier ended a period of dominance with a calm finish.
But Damien Granchi’s men had been wasteful in their chances, and should arguably have been more than one goal ahead at the first whistle. In fact, they let their slim lead slip as Shane Luckie muscled off the defender to slot the ball into the bottom corner with just 20 seconds of the opening 12 minutes left.
The second period was peppered, as the first had been, with several injuries to each team, which slowed the pace of the match. The next goal came with three minutes to go until the second break as Wilson put away a sublime freekick to nudge Guyana ahead.
The goals started to flow as the final 12 minutes. Lefort hit one after the restart to bring Guadeloupe level, Haynes retook the lead with a beautiful bending shot, but then the Guadeloupe number three, Zembama hit a spectacular volley to level up once more.
The game may have picked up pace, but it was no closer to choosing a winner. The match went into extra time, and when a winning goal still didn’t appear, it went to penalties. Mezence and Hell netted their spot-kicks, but Guyana agonizingly missed both of theirs. After a tough match Guadeloupe take a point to go momemtarily top of Group D!
Goals: 1-0: Geolier, min. 3 (1); 1-1: Luckie, min. 0 (1); 1-2: Wilson, min. 3 (2); 2-2: Lefort, min. 11 (3); 2-3: Haynes, min. 10 (3); 3-3: Zembama, min. 10 (3);
PSO: 1-0: Mezence, scored; 1-0: Grandison, missed; 2-0: Hell, scored; 2-0: Luckie, missed;
Bahamas v Bonaire (Group C)
The hosts of the last edition could qualify for the quarter-finals of the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship Puerto Vallarta with a win today, assuming that other Group C results went their way too.
Bonaire had suffered a 14-goal thumping by the United States in their first ever Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship match, and were in dire need of points.
It took four minutes for the score to be opened and it came from the big Bahamas keeper, Butler, who saw a shot deflected to beat his opposite number. Munnings then drove a freekick into the roof of the Bonaire net for a second.
However, Felix buried a freekick of his own, showing the Bahamas that Bonaire weren’t to be underestimated. Francois made it 3-1 just before the break but the Bahamas weren’t home and dry yet.
After the break, St Fleur coolly slotted home a fourth and then he delivered a throw-in that Thompson headed in to make it five.
Bonaire managed a second goal in the final period when Piard scored, but apart from it was one-way traffic as Bahamas seemed to find the net with every attack. Christie completed a brace and both Thompson and Munnings scored a hat-trick to take the final score to 12-2.
With the comfortable victory under the belts, Bahamas go top of Group C and await to see whether a USA victory will send them to the quarter-finals without playing their third match.
Goals: 1-0: Butler, min. 8 (1); 2-0: Munnings, min. 7 (1); 2-1: Felix, min. 6 (1); 3-1: Francois, min. 0 (1); 4-1: St Fleur, min. 11 (2); 5-1: Thompson, min. 9 (2); 6-1: Christie, min. 8 (2); 7-1: Thompson, min. 3 (2); 8-1: Munnings, min. 0 (2); 9-1: Christie, min. 9 (3); 10-1: Thompson, min. 9 (3); 10-2: Piard, min. 8 (3); 11-2: Forbes, min. 8 (3); 12-2: Munnings, min. 1 (3);
Jamaica v Guatemala (Group A)
If Jamaica wanted to keep the slimmest hopes of playing in at the FIFA World Cup in Paraguay later in the year alive, they had to win against Guatemala in normal time today.
Gonzalez opened the scoring to give Guatemala an initial lead, and after Jamaica held them off for most of the rest of the first 12 minutes, Bachez set himself up for a sublime volley to double the lead in the dying minutes.
However, there was still time for Planter to pull one back for Jamaica before the whistle and they went into the break at 1-2.
Two minutes into the second period, Lester Gonzalez won a scramble in the box to poke the ball through the keeper’s legs from a sitting position – it doesn’t matter how they go in! – to make it 1-3.
It soon became four with another Gonzalez goal but it could (and should) have been more, were it not for Jamaican keeper Kirk Porter, who made a brilliant penalty save to deny Bachez a second goal.
After the restart, Lloyd beat the goalkeeper to a loose ball at the other end of the pitch to bring it back to 2-4. But just as Jamaica reduced the deficit, Pablo Jose Rodriguez’s men restored it once more as an Avila shot bounced on the sand to wrong-foot defenders and keeper alike.
That wrapped up the game and the final whistle signaled the end of the road for Jamaica, and Guatemala would have to wait for the outcome of the other Group A game to see whether they had done enough to make the quarters.
Goals: 0-1: M. Gonzalez, min. 8 (1); 0-2: Bachez, min. 3 (1); 1-2: Planter, min. 2 (1); 1-3: L. Gonzalez, min. 10 (2); 1-4: M. Gonzalez, min. 9 (2); 2-4: Lloyd, min. 7 (3); 2-5: Avila, min. 7 (3);
USA v Antigua and Barbuda (Group C)
With a win against Antigua and Barbuda today, the United States could send both themselves and group mates Bahamas into the quarter-finals.
They set about their task immediately, and Alessandro got the Stars and Stripes off the mark with a fine effort in the second minute of play. Captain Perera then netted his sixth of the tournament to double the advantage.
Akol curled in a beauty from the right flank to make it three and then four with a bicycle kick. At 4-0, the first whistle blew with the islanders having a mountain to climb in the remaining two periods.
Kevin Richards gave Beto Lima’s side hope when a confused scuffle on the line saw him bundle the ball over to pull a goal back, but it was soon cancelled out again by a coolly converted penalty from Oscar Reyes.
Just before the second whistle sounded, Akol completed a hat-trick, and qualification seemed all but in the bag, if they could hold off the opponents for 12 more minutes.
The goals kept coming for the US, as Perera scored again, then Canale got his name on the scoresheet with a header. A minute later Akol made it nine and there was no way back for the Antiguans.
Tayou nodded in a Perera shot that was heading wide to make it ten and just to end the match on a high note, Richards was on hand to turn in a second consolation goal for Antigua and Barbuda.
Following this result, the US secure places in the quarter-finals for themselves and Bahamas.
Goals: 1-0: Alessandro, min. 10 (1); 2-0: Perera, min. 9 (1); 3-0: Akol, min. 5 (1); 4-0: Akol, min. 4 (1); 4-1: Richards, min. 8 (2); 5-1: Reyes, min. 8 (2); 6-1: Akol, min. 1 (2); 7-1: Perera, min. 11 (3); 8-1: Canale, min. 7 (3); 9-1: Akol, min. 6 (3); 10-1: Tayou, min. 4 (3); 10-2: Richards, min. 0 (3); 11-2: Akol, min. 0 (3);
El Salvador v Belize (Group D)
Belize had been defeated by a single goal the day before and needed to make up for the dropped points if they were to stay in the running for a top two finish in Group D. However, a win for El Salvador would see them make it to the quarter-finals, and take Guadeloupe with them.
The Salvadorians got off to a strong start when Batres pounded in a long-range set-piece, despite the match being tantalizingly close with neither team able to break the deadlock until the ninth minute of the match.
At the first break a single strike was all that separated the sides and Belize were by no means out of the match, asking questions of the defenders in white. But at the other end, Agustin Ruiz drove into the box to fire a pinging shot, which hit both posts but somehow stayed out.
It only took a few minutes for the number ten to double El Salvador’s advantage though, as this time his overhead found its target. Perdomo made it three in the last minute of the second part and Belize were looking in real danger of being left behind by the rampant Salvadorians.
Ford found the net just after the restart, and at 3-1 they looked to have got a foothold in the match once more, but Ramos was on hand to retake a three-goal cushion, blasting in number four straight from the kick-off.
Rudis Gonzalez Gallo’s men were dictating the pace of the game now, controlling the possession and effectively keeping the more and more desperate Belize attacks at bay. Ruiz grabbed his second to widen the gap even further and when Velasquez and Perdomo both scored in the final minute of play, there was no going back for Belize.
The last edition’s third-place finishers are into the quarter-final!
Goals: 1-0: Batres, min. 3 (1); 2-0: Ruiz, min. 9 (2); 3-0: Perdomo, min. 1 (2); 3-1: Ford, min. 9 (3); 4-1: Ramos, min. 9 (3); 5-1: Ruiz, min. 5 (3); 6-1: Velasquez, min. 0 (3); 7-1: Perdomo, min. 0 (3);
Mexico v Costa Rica (Group A)
Hosts Mexico were one win away from guaranteeing their place in the quarter-finals, making their objective against the Costa Ricans simple.
But the home crowd fell quiet early one when Mora guided a beautifully struck ball into the top corner after just seconds of play. Maldonado leveled the score up to the delight of the fans but minutes later they were trailing once again as Sanchez drove into the box to send an arrowed shot whistling low across the sand to nestle in the bottom corner.
Maldonado was on hand to equalize again but in what was becoming a battle of two goal scorers, Sanchez scored directly from the kick off, and what a strike it was, leaving Villaseñor with no chance.
Torres followed up on a shot beaten away by the keeper to equalize yet again and sides went into the first break level pegging.
The Mexicans were proving hard to shake off for Costa Rica…
As the match approached the midway point, Martinez struck to give Ramón Raya’s men the lead for the first time in the match, but Mora stepped up to convert a set-piece and level up once more.
The tables seemed to have turned though, and now Costa Rica were doing the chasing, as Aleman found space to turn and hit number five for the hosts.
Mexico pushed their advantage further in the final period as, that man again, Maldonado completed a hat-trick when he tucked away a rebound after his first shot had bounced back to him off the post.
Less than 60 seconds later, Hernandez lost his defender to power in a low shot from a long way out and Mexico lead by 7-4! The players were giving the packed stadium exactly what they came for.
Incredibly, Maldonado scored his fourth to give Mexico a four-goal cushion, but yet again they conceded directly from the kick off, as Sanchez struck from the right wing and across Villaseñor to make it 8-5.
But this was the best that they could manage and with three points in the bag, Mexico round off a perfect group stage with passage to the next round confirmed, while Costa Rica become the eighth team to be knocked out of the running for qualification to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Goals: 0-1: Mora, min. 11 (1); 1-1: Maldonado, min. 11 (1); 1-2: Sanchez, min. 9 (1);
2-2: Maldonado, min. 3 (1); 2-3: Sanchez, min. 3 (1); 3-3: Torres, min. 0 (1); 4-3: Martinez, min. 7 (2); 4-4: Mora, min. 7 (2); 5-4: Aleman, min. 3 (2); 6-4: Maldonado, min. 9 (3); 7-4: Hernandez, min. 8 (3); 8-4: Maldonado, min. 2 (3); 8-5: Sanchez, min. 2 (3);
Yesterday’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)
Today’s results
Wednesday 15th May
10:45 – Guadeloupe 3(2)-(0)3 Guyana (Group D)
12:00 – Bahamas 12-2 Bonaire (Group C)
14:15 – Jamaica 2-5 Guatemala (Group A)
15:30 – USA 11-2 Antigua and Barbuda (Group C)
16:45 – El Salvador 7-1 Belize (Group D)
18:00 – Mexico 8-5 Costa Rica (Group A)
Tomorrow’s fixtures
Thursday 16th May
10:45 – Belize v Guyana (Group D)
12:00 – Antigua and Barbuda v Bonaire (Group C)
14:15 – Turks and Caicos Islands v US Virgin Islands (Group B)
15:30 – El Salvador v Guadeloupe (Group D)
16:45 – Panama v Trinidad & Tobago (Group B)
18:00 – USA v Bahamas (Group C)
Stay up to date with the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship Puerto Vallarta 2019 on the Beach Soccer Worldwide and Concacaf websites.
