The Costa Rican team threatened this Thursday to complicate the outcome of the octagonal final of the Concacaf qualifying for the Qatar-2022 World Cup by beating Canada and postponing their qualification, while the United States and Mexico took a small step on the twelfth day .
The day began at the National Stadium in Kingston where El Salvador already lost any chance of reaching the playoffs by drawing 1-1 with Jamaica.
The ‘Selecta’ had fueled their hopes of staying alive towards the playoffs with the 1-0 scoreline scored by Eriq Zavaleta in the 12th minute.
But the Salvadoran dream faded at 72 when Andre Gray scored 1-1 for the ‘Reggae Boyz’.
With this tie, El Salvador reached 10 points and stayed in sixth position already eliminated; Jamaica now has eight units and is in fifth place.
"I am left with the fact that we have competed in almost all the matches and we have improved in the football idea that we have"said Hugo Pérez, coach of El Salvador. "We are missing pieces, but it will be a thing of the future to be able to find them".
Later at the Rommel Fernández stadium in Panama City, Honduras wrested a 1-1 draw and some optimism from Panama.
Rolando Blackburn, at minute 23, scored 1-0 for Marea Roja, which reached 18 points and dropped from fourth to fifth place, leaving the playoff zone.
Kevin López, at 65, made it 1-1 for the H team, which sank to the bottom of the standings with four units.
"With the mentality that Honduras came out in the second half, we got nervous and the anxiety took over the team"admitted the Danish Thomas Andersen, technical director of Panama. "We have obtained a result that nobody likes. There are two more battles left and the group has to get up".
In the Azteca stadium, Mexico and the United States processed a 0-0 draw that brought them a little closer to the World Cup.
Both teams reached 22 points, the American is second and the Mexican third by goal difference: +9 against +6.
"The forcefulness has to do with tranquility and we have lost it in the last 25 meters when making a pass or a shot"recognized the Argentine Gerardo Martino, coach of Mexico, who at the end of the game returned to face the cry "outside Tata, outside Tata" of the Mexican fans.
Although they took another step to Qatar-2022, Americans and Mexicans remained within the reach of Costa Ricans.
At the National Stadium in San José, Costa Rica refreshed its hopes of reaching the World Cup with its 1-0 win over Canada.
The Ticos won with a goal from veteran Celso Borges at minute 45+2 and reached 19 points with which they rose from fifth to fourth place and, for the time being, they took away from Panama the right to play the intercontinental playoff.
Canada lost its unbeaten record, but was left with 25 points in the lead and could clinch the pass to the World Cup next Sunday after 36 years of absence.
"We beat the best team in Concacaf"boasted the Colombian Luis Fernando Suárez, technical director of Costa Rica. "We know that we have a lot to improve, we are strong in defence, but we still need to score more goals".