Guatemala 4 - Grenada 1; Belize 2 - St. Vincent and the Grenadines 0

Play in Group E came to its conclusion today. Guatemala (pictured) were looking to complete the group stage with a perfect 6-0-0 record, and all that stood between them and that goal was a road game against Grenada in St. George's. The field was a wide stripe of mud down the middle of the pitch, and the penalty boxes were full of puddles from heavy rains. Grenada converted on a penalty kick with less than ten minutes until the half, and the 1-0 held into the break.

Guatemala were in serious danger of losing for the first time in the tournament. However, with thirteen minutes to go, Grenada completely unraveled. An embarrassing own goal by Michael Mark on a full swing shot the ball into their own net at full force, leveling the affair at 1-1. Guatemala took advantage of a stunned defense to score twice more in quick succession, their second goal coming just a minute after the own goal. As if the sudden loss were not enough, Mark knocked yet another ball into his own net to become the first player to score two own goals in the tournament. Guatemala win 4-1 to maintain their perfect record.

Belize, the first team to kick off their FIFA World Cup campaign, saw their final action of the tournament today in Kingstown as they faced St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Both teams figured with a probable Guatemala win in the other Group E outing, whoever won this match would end up in second place behind Guatemala. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in the first period, so the drama would be left late.

In the second period, Deon McCaulay once again proved hero for Belize. With fifteen minutes to go in the match, he put Belize ahead with the opener, his tenth goal of the tournament. Just three minutes later, McCaulay found himself at the penalty spot, from which he converted for a 2-0 lead for Belize. Belize held on for the 2-0 road victory, their fourth victory in eight qualifiers to go along with two draws and two tight losses to Guatemala. Belize will surely shoot up the rankings board after their performance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

With his two goals today, McCaulay becomes the first player to hit double-digit goals in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Although his tournament has now concluded, McCaulay scored an amazing eleven goals in his eight games, including the first goal of the tournament against Montserrat on his way to a hat trick in the opening match. Given the fact that the three weakest teams in Oceania will be eliminated before getting to play the likes of Fiji and Solomon Islands, there is a good chance that McCaulay will go down as the top scorer in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying when the final ball is kicked in November 2013.

Goals

Guatemala

Michael Mark 77 OG, 90+2 OG

Fredy Thompson 78

Guillermo Ramirez 85

Grenada

Shane Rennie 37 PK

Belize

Deon McCaulay 75, 78 PK

Match Reports:

http://www.prensalibre.com/deportes/futbol_nacional/listo-visita-Guatemala-Granada_0_591541007.html

http://fedefutguate.org/index.php?news=1398

http://deportescl.terra.cl/futbol/mundial/2014/eliminatorias/noticias/0,,OI5472211-EI18623,00-Guatemala+derrota+a+Granada+y+cierra+invicta+eliminatoria+de+Concacaf.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/11/15/2080.ap.soc.belize.st.vincent.0082/index.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DTb_D_5v2I (Guatemala v. Grenada)

Belize 1 - St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1; Guatemala 3 - Grenada 0

Belize welcomed St. Vincent and the Grenadines into rainy Belmopan. St. Vincent gave their hosts an unexpected housewarming gift in the form of an early goal, but goal-scoring demon Deon McCaulay equalized within three minutes for the home side. The half ended at 1-1.

The second did not see any further scoring and the teams ended up tying the match at one goal apiece. Belize's campaign has hit a devastating rut after their opening group win at Grenada while St. Vincent are but one positive result away from an unexpected second place finish in the group. Shommal Trimmingham was given his marching orders for a second yellow card with two minutes left in the match, so St. Vincent will be without his services for their final match against Belize.

Guatemala took on Grenada in the nightcap of today's qualifiers. Grenada knew they were in for a long night, even against a second-choice Guatemala squad when Freddy Garcia scored in the very first minute for the home side. Garcia added a second at the half hour mark, and midfielder Angelo Padilla scored his first international goal in his first international appearance at the tail end of the first half. Guatemala lead 3-0 at the break.

Los Chapines failed to add to their lead in the second period, but they did maintain their clean sheet and look well prepared for round three which commences next June. The final score on the day is Guatemala 3, Grenada 0. The teams play their group finale on Tuesday.

Guatemala 15 pts - IN

St. Vincent OUT

Belize OUT

Grenada OUT

Goals

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Cornelius Stewart 13

Belize

Deon McCaulay 16

Guatemala

Freddy Garcia 1, 30

Angelo Padilla 44

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXeSW9gdVyY (Guatemala v. Grenada)

Grenada 1 - St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1

Grenada hosted St. Vincent and the Grenadines in St. George's in a match that both teams needed to win in order to remain alive in the race for Brasil 2014. A draw would ensure Guatemala the Group E title and thereby eliminate both the Spice Boyz and the visiting Vincy Heat. Neither side were able to step up and grab a first-half lead as the first forty-five minutes were scorless.

St. Vincent decided just beyond the hour mark that they wanted to continue onto Matchday Five with a chance to qualify, so they found the opener for a 1-0 lead. Grenada knew that they were up against the wall at this point. Unfortunately for them, their equalizer came in second half stoppage time through Clive Murray, the only Grenada player ever to have scored in a CONCACAF Gold Cup match. The final whistle sounded upon the match shortly after Murray's goal. With the 1-1 draw, both teams have been eliminated from the FIFA World Cup and Guatemala advance to Group One of the CONCACAF Third Round as Group E winners.

Guatemala 12 pts - IN

St. Vincent OUT

Grenada OUT

Belize OUT

Goals

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Myron Samuel 62

Grenada

Clive Murrary 90+2

Match Reports:

http://www.concacaf.com/page/WCQ/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2483913,00.html

Guatemala 3 - Belize 1

Guatemala welcomed neighbors Belize to rainy Guatemala City. The rain kept falling all match long, which made for a sloppy pitch. A Guatemalan was brought down in the penalty area five minutes into the match by Harrison Tasher (pictured, navy), allowing for a conversion from the penalty spot for 1-0. Belize's Dalton Eiley had to substituted for after he suffered an injury in minute 22. Deon McCaulay then scored his seventh goal of the tournament, and his second against Guatemala, just beyond the half hour mark, giving Belize an equalizer against the run of play that made the halftime scoreboard read 1-1.

Midway through the second half, a ball that deflected off a Guatemala attacker and the Belize goalkeeper bounced around in the box before the one oncoming Guatemala player beat three Belize players to the ball for a tap in that gave the home side a 2-1 lead. First-half substitute Everal Trapp was shown red in minute 76 for bringing a Guatemala player down in the box, leaving Belize a man short as they fought to stay alive in the tournament. Carlos "El Pescadito" Ruiz (pictured, white) converted the kick for the 3-1 advantage. Guatemala would win the match by the same scoreline. Belize are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup with two games left on their schedule, having lost three straight matches after opening with three wins.

Guatemala 12 pts +10

Grenada 3 pts -1

Belize OUT

St. Vincent 3 pts -6

Goals

Guatemala

Carlos Gallardo 6 PK

Mynor Lopez 65

Carlos Ruiz 78 PK

Belize

Deon McCaulay 31

Match Reports:

http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=11778

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vvJWU081zw&feature=related

Grenada 4 - Belize 1; Guatemala 3 - St. Vincent and the Grenadines 0

Guatemala visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines looking to further confirm its superiority over its three rivals in Group E. After winning its first matches against the Vincy Heat 4-0, the Chapines sought a similar result in Kingstown. The Vincy Heat held tough, but Mario Rodriguez deflated the crowd with a goal just before halftime to give Guatemala a 1-0 lead at the break.

Rodriguez doubled the lead a dozen minutes after the restart, and Guatemala found a third goal with a quarter hour remaining in the contest. St. Vincent were unable to put any goal on the board for their home fans and now must hope for three matchdays of miracles in order to qualify to the next round. Guatemala lead the group by six points.

Grenada paid a visit to Belize at their national stadium in Belmopan. The Spice Boyz, owners of zero points so far in group play, wished to make amends for their loss at home to Belize the previous month. It is safe to say that amends were made. Belize's defense looked a step slower than it had in its previous four qualifiers, and the Spice Boyz made them pay dearly. An uncontested shot from the left side of the penalty area came eight minutes before the half and was closely followed by a second after a weak cross elicited a poor clearance from a Belize centerback, allowing for an easy putaway by Grenada for a 2-0 halftime advantage.

Grenada wasted little time adding a third, waiting a mere five minutes. The Spice Boyz surely must wonder where their top form had escaped to during their first two matches because today was a devastating display from the 2011 Gold Cup participants. Clive Murray, the first Grenada player to score in a Gold Cup, added the fourth for a 4-0 ten minutes from time. Belize pulled a consolation goal back at the end of regulation, giving Grenada a final scoreline 4-1 in their favor.

Guatemala 9 pts +8

Grenada 3 pts -1

Belize 3 pts -1

St. Vincent 3 pts -6

Goals

Guatemala

Mario Rodriguez 44, 57

Dwight Pezzarossi 75

Grenada

Shane Rennie 37

Marcus Julien 41

Lancaster Joseph 50

Clive Murray 80

Belize

Ryan Simpson 90

Match Reports:

http://www.prensalibre.com/deportes/futbol_nacional/Guatemala-juega-San-Vicente-Granadinas_0_568143368.html

http://www.gfa.gd/grenada-football-association/153-spice-boys-still-in-the-race-to-qualify-for-brazil-2014-with-emphatic-win-over-belize

Match Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHcEa--tO3o&feature=player_embedded (Grenada v. Belize)

St. Vincent and the Grenadines 2 - Grenada 1

St. Vincent and the Grenadines hosted Grenada, the top seed of Group E, in Kingstown. Both teams needed a win to keep up with group leaders Guatemala after neither team picked up a point in their group openers. Not all was well in the pregame camp of St. Vincent, however. The St. Vincent players were on the verge of striking for higher wages, but luckily the stoppage was averted. The Vincy Heat, after having their demands met, made their supporters happy today with their performance against the fancied Spice Boyz. St. Vincent took a lead off a Myron Samuel (pictured, yellow) goal in the twenty-seventh minutes. St. Vincent held on for a 1-0 lead at the half.

In the second half, St. Vincent maintained its precarious lead for twenty-five minutes, but they had enough of the one-goal leaded and added a second, leaving Grenada looking at a surprise last-place position in the group following what would be two shock losses: the first at home to Belize, the second today against St. Vincent. Goalscorer Cornelius Stewart removed his jersey and ran to greet his adoring fans in the grandstand. Grenada pulled back a goal five minutes after going down 2-0, but despite fifteen minutes to equalize, Grenada ultimately fell 2-1 to St. Vincent. Grenada must surely be disappointed that their star player Shalrie Joseph has once again not come to play for the national side, a side he deserted during both the 2009 and 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup finals tournaments. Grenada fall to the group cellar while St. Vincent move into third as the curtain closes on matchday two of round two of CONCACAF qualifying.

Guatemala 6 pts +5

Belize 3 pts +2

St. Vincent 3 pts -3

Grenada 0 pts -4

Goals:

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Myron Samuel 27

Cornelius Stewart 71

Grenada

Cassim Langaigne 76

Match Reports:

http://i-witness-news.com/2011/09/19/st-vincent-beat-grenada-amidst-players%E2%80%99-strike-talks/

http://www.tropigol.com/2011/09/19/st-vincent-nips-grenada-in-wcq-2-1/

http://www.gfa.gd/grenada-football-association/148-spice-boys-melted-to-the-vincy-heat

Guatemala 2 - Belize 1

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:

http://www.belizetimes.bz/2011/09/09/belize-falls-to-guatemala-1-2/

http://www.reporter.bz/index.php?mod=article&cat=Sports&article=5261

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUVhsjKPJsk

Belize 3 - Grenada 0; Guatemala 4 - St. Vincent and the Grenadines 0

Belize pulled off the upset of the day when they visited the Spice Boyz of Grenada. Grenada were widely known as the weakest of the top seeds in round two of CONCACAF qualifying, but they were expected to fall at this hurdle due to defeats inflicted by Guatemala, not by upstart Belize. However, Belize were boosted by the news that they would be allowed to play games at home in this round of the competition, so they wanted to come home on a high note. Deon McCaulay scored his fourth goal of the tournament barely more than ten minutes in to put Belize up 1-0. A second goal followed with ten minutes left in the half, and the stunned crowd at St. George's were left shocked by the 2-0 halftime score.

As it to prove that the lead was no fluke, Honduras-based Elroy Smith knotched Belize's third with little more than ten minutes to play, announcing to Guatemala that the group's toughest challenge would be their neighbors to the east. Belize won 3-0.

Guatemala were probably suprised by the result of the first match, but they had business to attend to in the final qualifier of the day. The crowd in Guatemala City would not be let down by their Chapines against St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Star midfielder and Chicago Fire player Marco Pappa scored after a quarter hour, and another goal came a quarter hour later off an egregious dropped cross by St. Vincent's goalie to spring the Chapines to a 2-0 lead at the half.

After the restart, it took Guatemala six minutes to seal the victory at 3-0, the second consecutive Guatemala goal scored off a rebound. An insurance goal was scored twenty minutes later for a 4-0 lead. Halftime substitute Mario Rodriguez proved a force by scoring the third goal and assisting on the fourth. A frustrated Devon Browne was sent off for St. Vincent for a straight red card, leaving his underdog side down a man against group favorites Guatemala for the final two minutes. No other goals were scored, however, so Guatemala left with a 4-0 victory and a mouth-watering matchup at Belize next Tuesday for group supremacy. Grenada travel to St. Vincent on 18 September 2011.

Goals:

Belize

Deon McCaulay 11

Harrison Roches 35

Elroy Smith 79

Guatemala

Marco Pappa 14

Yony Flores 30

Mario Rodriguez 52

Freddy Garcia 71

Match Reports:

http://www.ctv3belizenews.com/featured-news/731-belizes-national-football-team-travels-to-grenada-.html

http://www.belizefootball.bz/index.php/news/146-belize-2014-fifa-world-cup-brazil

http://fedefutguate.org/index.php?news=1308

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba1Rj74pPp0 (Guatemala v. St. Vincent)