María Amanda Monterroso and Andrea Álvarez scored the goals for the victory of the Bicolor
SANTA TECLA, EL SALVADOR -- Perfect score! The Guatemalan Women's National Team defeated Costa Rica 2-1 in the second round of Group A in women's soccer at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.
María Amanda Monterroso and Andrea Álvarez scored the goals for the Bicolor, who achieved their second consecutive victory, after defeating Haiti 3-1 in their debut, to place themselves at the top of the group standings, pending Venezuela's match against the Caribbean team.
Costa Rica remained without points, having lost 4-0 to Venezuela in the opening match. Now they need a combination of results and a win against Haiti in their last match to have a chance of qualifying.
It was a deserved victory for the Blue and White team led by Costa Rican Karla Alemán because they had possession of the ball, created the best chances, and couldn't win by a larger margin due to the good performance of Costa Rican goalkeeper María Méndez.
Guatemala took the lead in the 25th minute thanks to a header by Monterroso, after a great cross from Ana Lucía Martínez, who had scored a hat-trick in the first match. 'La Joya' Álvarez added the second goal of the game in the 55th minute, after dribbling past an opponent and getting lucky to keep the ball in the area before shooting with her right foot.
There was time to suffer, as María Morales scored a penalty goal for Costa Rica in the 74th minute. It came after a handball by Jemery Myvett, who was sent off for a second yellow card. It was Guatemala's second penalty against, with Alexia Estrada having saved one earlier.
Now Guatemala will look to secure first place in the group in their next match against Venezuela on Monday, starting at 11:00 AM, at the Estadio Las Delicias in Santa Tecla, El Salvador.
Guatemala is competing under the flag of Centro Caribe Sports due to the suspension of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee.