Guatemala back on winning track after downing Belize

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – In a tightly contested match with difficult weather conditions with light hail, Guatemala earned a 2-0 victory over Belize in Group D of League
B of the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League at the Doroteo Guamuch Flores Stadium in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Los Chapines took the lead 10 minutes into the encounter after forcing an own goal. Andres
Lezcano whipped in a ball from left field into the box, looking to find Rubio Rubin, when it instead took a rebound off the chest of Belize defender Deshawon Nemhard to give the
locals a 1-0 lead.

The home side amped up their aggressiveness after the re-start, and three minutes into the second half, they had a good chance to extend their lead off a free kick served by Oscar
Castellanos, but Lezcano was unable to head it cleanly in between the Belize defense.

The chances kept coming for the hosts, with Rubin having two on target attempts in the 52nd and 55th minutes, respectively, followed by Carlos Mejia from just outside the box in
the 66th minute of play.

The second goal arrived for Guatemala in the 75th minute, with Mejia converting from the
penalty spot, slotting the ball into the bottom left corner, after earning the penalty when
fouled inside the box by defender Evral Trapp just moments before.

Belize continued to absorb pressure in defense as the Guatemalans made six attempts on target after acquiring the 2-0 lead.

Belize goalkeeper Charles Tillett ended the match with
10 saves to his name.
The victory is the first in League B for Guatemala, who earned promotion from League C in the previous edition of the tournament.

Los Chapines rebounded from a 2-0 loss on
matchday one against French Guiana to improve to 1W-0D-1L.

Belize lost its second straight match in the group after losing their first encounter, 2-0, to the
Dominican Republic.