Canada and Costa Rica reach Cup quarters

MIAMI: Canada and Costa Rica secured victories on Monday to book their places in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals.

Dwayne DeRosario scored both goals in Canada's 2-0 win over Haiti which left the Canadians top of Group A with six points.

Walter Centeno's first-half free kick gave Costa Rica a 1-0 win over Guadeloupe in the early game. Both teams finished with four points, but Costa Rica progressed to the last eight due to their superior head-to-head record.

Guadeloupe can still advance as one of the two best third-placed teams, but must await the results from Groups B and C over the next two days.

DeRosario struck twice in quick succession in the first half, running on to a Paul Stalteri cross at the back post to volley the first from an acute angle after 32 minutes.

His second goal three minutes later was a penalty drilled past Haiti keeper Gabart Fenelon. Canada's Issey Nakajima-Farran had won the spot-kick when he was brought down by Haiti captain Pierre-Richard Bruny.

Canada goalkeeper Pat Onstad saved with his feet from Haiti's J. Michel Alexandre Boucicaut in the first half and denied the same player midway through the second half after recovering from a heavy collision with Ricardo Pierre-Louis

Haiti played with 10 men for the final nine minutes after Bruny received a red card for his elbow on Kevin Harmse.

In the opening game, Centeno scored for Costa Rica with a 30-metre free kick in the 14th minute.

The game was an ill-tempered affair featuring seven yellow cards, five to Costa Rica players.

Group B was to conclude yesterday outside Boston when USA, already through to the knockout stages, were to face El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago were to meet Guatemala. El Salvador and Guatemala have three points each and Trinidad are bottom of the standings without a point from two matches.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup, being staged in six U.S. cities this month, will determine the champion of the region that includes North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The winner will earn an automatic berth in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Agencies

(China Daily 06/13/2007 page24)