Posted on July 4, 2012
GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala moved closer to qualifying for for FIFA Futsal World Cup by recording a 5-2 Group A win over Central American rival Panama in the 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship on Tuesday night.
The victory gave the Guatemalans two wins in as many games, while Panama suffered its first loss after securing a triumph in its opener at Domo Polideportivo on Monday.
The defending CONCACAF champions need only a a tie against the U.S. in Wednesday’s final group stage match to secure another berth in the FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will be played in Thailand in November.
Erick Acevedo and Estuardo De Leon led the way with two goals apiece as they scored in each half, boosting the hosts to a 5-0 advantage before Los Canaleros found the back of the net midway through the second half.
In an intense, high-paced first half, the Guatemalans grabbed a 2-0 halftime lead and never looked back.
With the match just over a minute old, Acevedo gave Guatemala a lead by firing a shot from the left side over the shoulder of Panama goalkeeper Jaime Londono.
Panama took control of the match for several minutes, but could not solve the Guatemalan defense or goalkeeper William Ramirez, who had a sharp opening 20 minutes.
But it was the Guatemalans who scored again to take a 2-0 lead in the 14th minute. This time De Leon converted a free kick from Edgar Macal as he powered a drive to the near left post.
Los Chapines were relentless in the second half. They increased their lead to three goals early on as Pablo Estrada tallied on a long-range shot from the left side.
De Leon made the most of a give-and-go and fired an attempt from just outside the penalty area for a 4-0 lead in the 26th minute.
Only three minutes later, Acevedo beat his man on the right side, Alquis Alvarado and put home a shot from a difficult angle for the fifth goal.
Panama’s Miguel Bello spoiled Ramirez’s shutout bid by scoring from the left side to close the gap to 5-1 in the 31st minute. Only a minute later, Panama’s Carlos Perez launched a long drive from the right side for the second goal.
Categories: Central America, CONCACAF, Guatemala, Panama
Tags: 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship, FIFA Futsal World Cup
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