- July, 04 2009 -
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CARSON, California - El Salvador charged to the top of the Gold Cup's Group A Friday night, beating Costa Rica 2-1 with an 86th-minute goal from Osael Romero.
It was Romero's second of the evening, adding to his 20th-minute tally that put El Salvador ahead. Costa Rica equalized in the 64th, but were unable to contain a potent El Salvador that ended a four-game losing streak to its Central American neighbor.
"We needed this win," El Salvador manager Carlos de los Cobos said. "The last few times we played Costa Rica, we haven't taken advantage of our chances. But tonight I'm proud of the kind of soccer that we played. There is still much to do, but we're very happy with this win."
The game began at a frantic pace, both teams bolstered by a thunderous capacity crowd at The Home Depot Center. El Salvador had the better of play, creating a few near-chances inside the Costa Rican penalty area and drawing two yellow cards on the "Ticos" in the first 10 minutes.
"La Selecta" was finally rewarded in the 20th minute when William Reyes headed a long Miguel Montes punt into the path of Osael Romero. Romero broke free down the left side of the box, beat Costa Rican defender Pablo Herrera with a quick stepover, and drilled a shot into the top left corner.
"We have a lot of confidence and have grown a lot recently," said Romero, who was voted the Miller Lite player of the game. "We have worked hard, kept our heads down, and are staying focused on just playing well."
Seemingly not content with the potency of his attack in the first half an hour, Costa Rican manager Rodrigo Kenton brought in speedy midfielder Andy Herron to replace Harold Wallace in the 32nd minute to add speed in the offensive third. The move almost had an immediate effect, with Herron earning a handful of throw-ins and corner kicks, and providing Centeno with a good option on the right flank.
"The substitutions we used worked very well," Costa Rica manager Rodrigo Kenton said. "Warren Granados really helped to balance the midfield in places where we were having problems, and Andy Herron is finding his rhythm and is in his best form right now.
Costa Rica responded with its own push, threatening El Salvadorian net several times. The best chance came in the 40th minute when Celso Borges got onto the end of a Walter Centeno corner kick, heading a low ball against right post before being it was cleared.
"After they had scored the first goal, we really tried to attack the net," Kenton said. "We played to win, but they were very organized in the back and in the end, they got the better of us."
El Salvador almost doubled its lead in the 50th minute when Julio Martinez sent a cross in from the right flank that Reyes almost put into the top corner. Only a diving swat from goalkeeper Keilor Navas held the lead to one.
Costa Rica found its equalizer when Esteban Sirias broke free along the left flank and sent a high cross into the penalty area. Substitute striker Warren Granados rushed into the area and volleyed the ball into the top of the net to even the score 1-1.
The Ticos continued to pound the El Salvadorian defense as the game went on, but were caught napping in the 86th minute. Reyes sent a low ball into the penalty area that was deflected into the path of Romero. The striker hammered home the game-winner to take Costa Rica to the top of Group A.
"I was overjoyed when we scored the second goal," Romero said. "What's important is that we all worked hard together to earn the victory."
Both teams now travel to Columbus, Ohio for the second of their opening-round games. El Salvador will take on a Canadian side that also got a win in it's first game.
"We're going to celebrate this win," De los Cobos said. "But we're already thinking about our next match."
Costa Rica, meanwhile, will battle a Jamaican side that lost a tight match on Tuesday.
"We're still in it," Kenton said. "We're going to learn from our mistakes tonight and continue to work hard and improve ahead of the next game. We'll be ready for Jamaica."
Source: goldcup.org
