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Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan led Canada to a 2-0 win over El Salvador, securing a Gold Cup quarterfinal spot.
Canada’s Niko Sigur (C) during their CONCACAF Gold Cup match. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan scored just 2 minutes and 35 seconds apart early in the second half, leading Canada to a 2-0 victory over El Salvador on Tuesday night, securing their spot in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals.
El Salvador, already eliminated, ended the match with only nine players after Santos Ortíz and Jairo Henríquez were sent off late in the first half.
Canada topped Group B with seven points, advancing to a quarterfinal clash against Guatemala on Sunday in Minneapolis. The winner will face either the U.S. or Costa Rica in the semifinals.
In other quarterfinal matchups, Mexico will play Saudi Arabia and Panama will face Honduras, both scheduled for Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
El Salvador finished last in the group with just one point, marking them as the 14th team to go scoreless in the group stage.
Canada’s coach, Jesse Marsch, returned from a two-game suspension incurred for his behaviour during the CONCACAF Nations League third-place match against the U.S. in March.
David netted in the 53rd minute, marking his record-setting 35th goal for Canada in 66 appearances. He received a pass from Mathieu Choinière, turned, and fired a diagonal shot from about 15 yards out, beating goalkeeper Mario González at the far post.
González had earlier dived to his left to save David’s penalty kick in first-half stoppage time, following a foul by Jefferson Valladares on Jacob Shaffelburg.
Buchanan scored his eighth international goal in the 56th minute, deftly lifting the ball over González after a pass from Niko Sigur, who had intercepted a pass from Diego Flores.
Ortíz was shown yellow cards in the 13th and 35th minutes, the second for a reckless tackle from behind on Sigur. Henríquez received a straight red card in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time for elbowing Alistair Johnston in the head.
Both Ortíz and Henríquez will be suspended for the start of El Salvador’s third round of World Cup qualifying in September.
In other matches, Honduras defeated Curaçao 2-1 in San Jose, California, with Luis Palma scoring the decisive goal in second-half stoppage time.
Panama triumphed over Jamaica 4-1 in Austin, Texas, thanks to Ismael Díaz’s hat trick, winning Group C with a perfect 3-0 record. The Reggae Boyz were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 2009. Guatemala edged out Guadeloupe 3-2 in Houston.
With AP Inputs.
- Location :
Houston, TX (US)
- First Published:
