Guatemala visited neighbors Belize at their national stadium in Belmopan, the first home qualifier played by Belize since the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification cycle. The field was built as built of the FIFA Goal Programme. Guatemala gave their throngs of road supporters much to cheer after an expert corner kick from key midfielder Marco Pappa found the head of an onrushing teammate for the opening goal before the match was even five minutes old. Guatemala had the majority of chances, but Belize goalkeeper Shane Orio (pictured, in blue) denied the Guatemalans a second goal. The half closed with Guatemala leading 1-0.The second half featured open play, but no goals were found in the thirty minutes following the restart. However, a flurry came with fifteen minutes left to play. Guatemala's goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez booted a punt into Orio's box. The punt landed at the feet of a Guatemalan player, who tapped it off the bounce to substitute Mynor Lopez (pictured, standing in white), who volleyed the ball past an outstretched Orio for a 2-0. After the ensuing kickoff, Belize made its way down the right flank. A ball crossed just below the half-circle was adeptly played by Deon McCaulay, who then shooked a defender and curled a ball past Jerez to make the score 2-1. The goal was McCaulay's sixth in qualifying thus far. Belize scrambled for an equalizer for the remainder of the match, but Guatemala held on for the 2-1 victory. The loss ends Belize's three-match winning streak in the qualifiers.
Guatemala 6 pts +5
Belize 3 pts +2
Grenada 0 pts -3
St. Vincent 0 pts -4
Goals:
Guatemala
Gustavo Cabrera 4
Mynor Lopez 75
Belize
Deon McCaulay 76
Match Reports:
Highlights:
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