MANAGUA, Nicaragua — The final day of the group stage delivered dramatic encounters in the 2024 Concacaf Futsal Championship on Monday at the Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua.
Former champions Guatemala and the United States played to the final minutes to decide the first place in Group C. Costa Rica and Mexico left it all in the Group A decider and Cuba took a thrilling victory over Group C winner Panama.
The quarterfinals matchups are set for Wednesday. Dominican Republic, United States, Cuba, and Canada obtained the final spots in the next round.
Guatemala rallies to finish unbeaten in Group C
The Dominican Republic won 11-1 against Trinidad and Tobago. David Rondon opened the scoring in the 10’. Jose Belliard struck in the 13’ and Marco Gomez added a third in the 14’ to take a three-goal lead into halftime.
In the second half, Rondon secured his brace in the 23’, followed by Belliard doing the same in the 25’. Hector Perez penned his name on the scoresheet in the 29’ before Jameel Neptune scored the lone goal for Trinidad and Tobago 23 seconds later. Rondon converted for his hat-trick in the 31’. The Dominican Republic added to their lead with goals from Guillermo Lopez in the 33’, Ricardo Alvarez in the 35’, Rondon’s fourth in the 39’, and Christian Gardelli in the 40’.
Guatemala tied 3-3 with the United States. The USA scored three unanswered goals from Luciano Gonzalez in the 14’, Nilton de Andrade in the 20’, and Franck Tayou in the 21’. Marvin Sandoval would help spur the Guatemala rally with goals in the 31’ and 33’ before Patrick Ruiz tied the encounter in the 38’.
With the draw, Guatemala finished first in Group C. The Dominican Republic sealed second place. United States finishes third and advances to the quarterfinals as one of the best third place teams.
Costa Rica reigns supreme in Group A
Suriname won 4-0 against Haiti. Nazario Doesburg scored in the 9’ to open the scoring. Ike Adams doubled the lead in the 20’ off a free kick service. Vangellino Sastromedjo struck from a distance in the 34’ and secured his brace on a counter in the 35’ to seal Suriname’s first win in the campaign.
Costa Rica defeated Mexico 4-2 in a match with first place in the group on the line. Mexico took the lead in the 11’ on a goal from Eder Giorgana. Emanuel Gamboa equalized for Costa Rica in the 13’ and the sides would remain tied through the rest of the half.
Daniel Gomez extended the Costa Rican lead in the 22’. Gilbert Vindas added another for the reigning champions in the 27’. Daniel Soltero responded for Mexico 37 seconds later. Minor Cabalceta added a fourth for Costa Rica in the 30’ to see out the victory and secure first place in the group.
Mexico finished second due to its two wins. Suriname placed third but could not advance due to the Canada-Nicaragua result.
Cuba edges Panama, Nicaragua bows out in Group B
Cuba outlasted Panama for a 3-2 victory. Jonathan Hernandez broke the deadlock in the 18’ with a right-footed hit into the top netting. Hernandez hit a mirror image of his first goal, scoring with his left foot in the 21’, to extend Cuba’s lead.
Abdiel Ortiz responded for Panama in the 33’ to bring the game within one. Aquiles Campos scored a dramatic equalizer in the 39’. Hernandez would respond with his third goal 15 seconds later to win it for Cuba.
Canada secured the final quarterfinal spot with a 6-3 win over hosts Nicaragua. Sebastian Lopez struck near the edge of the court in the 6’ to force an own goal from Roberto Diaz. Exequiel Sequeira tied for the hosts in the 11’ but Abdel Nboucha retook the lead for the Canadians in the 13’. Sequeira tied the encounter for a second time in the 18’. Nboucha retook the lead again, thanks to an assist form Loic Kwemi, 34 seconds after.
Daniel Chamale extended Canada’s lead in the 24’ but Wesly Ruiz cut the deficit back down to one in the 30’. Loic Kwemi scored in the 31’ to restore the two-goal lead for Canada. Montacer El-Harchali extended the advantage in the 34’ on a Kwemi assist.
Panama finished in first place despite its loss. Cuba rose to second place while Canada finished third.
Quarterfinals set with World Cup spots on the line
Group A winner Costa Rica will meet Canada in the next round while Group B winner Panama is paired with the United States.
Group C winner Guatemala will play against Group A runner-up Mexico. Cuba and the Dominican Republic will meet in a battle of second place teams.
All four quarterfinal matches will take place on Wednesday. The teams that advance to the semifinals will also qualify for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
