MIAMI, Florida – This Friday at 7:00 PM ET, Concacaf will be airing a re-broadcast of two matches from 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League Qualifying: Montserrat vs. El Salvador and Haiti vs. Cuba. The matches can be seen on Concacaf’s YouTube and Facebook pages, plus the Concacaf App.
The contest between Montserrat and El Salvador took place in week one on September 8, 2018, with the Emerald Boys hosting the Cuscatlecos at the Blakes Estate Stadium in Lookout.
Heading into the contest, many expected a straightforward result in favor of El Salvador, but a new age was dawning in Montserrat football, with many players brought in from several European leagues who were keen to send a message to the rest of the region.
Montserrat certainly got the attention of El Salvador by halftime, as a header in the 38’ banged off the crossbar, only to see the rebound eventually reach Joseph Taylor, who fired the hosts into the lead 1-0 with a left-footed effort.
The Central Americans sought a response and after failing to connect on a number of opportunities, Oscar Ceren brought El Salvador level 1-1 in the 64’ with a fantastic right-footed strike.
The Ceren score made for a grandstand finish with both sides seeking a winning goal. As play drifted into second half stoppage time, El Salvador found themselves with one last scoring chance via a counterattack down the left flank. A long ball was played to Jaime Alas, who managed to chase down the ball right before it crossed the end line and floated a cross to the charging Ceren, who steered a diving header into net to earn El Salvador the dramatic 2-1 victory.
Coincidentally, since that night, El Salvador and Montserrat have met an additional two times in Concacaf play, in League B of the Nations League, with El Salvador winning narrowly 2-0 at Montserrat and 1-0 in El Salvador.
Yet it was this encounter that laid the foundation for El Salvador’s top 10 finish in CNLQ and a coveted place in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup.
