With a protested penalty goal, Mexico beat Panama 1-0 on Wednesday and extended its lead to earn a ticket to the Qatar-2022 World Cup, whose qualification was practically assured by Canada with its 2-0 victory in El Salvador.
In addition, the United States thrashed Honduras 3-0 and Costa Rica won 1-0 in Jamaica in the other two games of the eleventh day of the octagonal final of Concacaf heading to Qatar-2022.
The surprising Canada, about to return to a World Cup 36 years later, leads the table with 25 points with three games remaining in the qualifiers.
The United States, with 21 units, and Mexico, with 20, hold the other places with direct access to the World Cup while Panama, which was left with 17, would play a playoff against a team from Oceania.
The great threat for this group is the thriving Costa Rica, which has 16 points and continues to dream of playing for its third consecutive World Cup.
The Costa Rican squad added its third victory in the last four dates by beating Jamaica 1-0, which was mathematically eliminated, with a solitary goal by striker Joel Campbell in the 61st minute.
With their coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino under pressure and with the Azteca stadium almost empty, Mexico achieved a vital 1-0 victory against Panama with a Raúl Jiménez penalty goal in the 80th minute.
The Panamanian soccer players angrily protested the maximum penalty, signaled by a fall in the area by Diego Lainez.
The US “freezes” Honduras
Taking advantage of frigid weather in Minnesota, the United States thrashed already eliminated Honduras 3-0 and regained confidence lost in Sunday’s loss in Canada.
In three set pieces, Weston McKennie opened the scoring in the 8th minute, Walker Zimmerman extended the lead in the 37th minute and Christian Pulisic completed the scoring in the 68th minute at Allianz Field in Saint Paul (Minnesota), where temperatures reached -17 degrees centigrade.
Players from both teams played in several layers of clothing and some with balaclavas covering their heads.
Two Honduran soccer players even had to be substituted at rest affected by the cold, according to the national team.
The American team defended its right to choose the climate that best suits it as a local and now looks with greater optimism at the complicated closing of the octagonal that it will have in March, in which it will face Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica.
Canada, for its part, remains intractable on its way to the second World Cup participation in its history, after Mexico-1986.
On Wednesday, the North American team won 2-0 in El Salvador with goals from Atiba Hutchinson, in the 66th minute, and from Jonathan David in the 90+4 minute.
El Salvador, with no hope of qualifying, also experienced a turbulent pre-match in which its players threatened not to show up on the field due to a dispute with their federation.
Canada can secure a ticket when qualifying resumes on March 24, when it visits Costa Rica. On that day, Mexico will receive the United States, Jamaica to El Salvador and Panama to Honduras.
Results and scorers of the eleventh day of the Concacaf octagonal towards Qatar-2022:
Jamaica 0 – Costa Rica 1 (Joel Campbell, 61)
United States 3 (Weston McKennie, 8; Walker Zimmerman, 37; Christian Pulisic, 68) – Honduras 0
El Salvador 0 – Canada 2 (Atiba Hutchinson, 66; Jonathan David, 90+4)
Mexico 1 (Raul Jimenez, 80) – Panama 0
Classification:
– Pts J G E P GF GC DIF
1. Canada 25 11 7 4 0 19 5 14
2. United States 21 11 6 3 2 16 7 9
3. Mexico 20 11 6 3 2 14 8 6
4. Panama 17 11 5 2 4 14 13 1
5. Costa Rica 16 11 4 4 3 8 7 1
6. El Salvador 9 11 2 3 6 6 13 -7
6. Jamaica 7 11 1 4 6 9 16 -7
8. Honduras 3 11 0 3 8 5 22 -17
