MIAMI, Florida – Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago were among the teams advancing to the Round of 16 of the 2023 Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship in Guatemala on Wednesday with the results of the final matches in Group E and Group F.
Group E
Guatemala 8 Curacao 3
In Group E at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, an Olger Escobar hat trick powered the host nation to an 8-3 win over Curacao to help the Chapines clinch third place and a spot in the knockout round.
Escobar’s goals came in the 3’, 25’ and 51’ and were nicely complemented by a brace from Santiago Garzaro, who found the back of the net in the 14’ and 34’. Selvin Sagastume chipped in with a goal in the 40’ in a match in which Guatemala held a 5-2 halftime lead.
Curacao got goals from Giandro Sambo in the 29’ and then an Ariel Lom own goal right before intermission. Escobar’s third score of the match was followed by the third Curacao goal of the day in the 56’ by Luigi Iniesa.
Guatemala then tacked on a pair of goals in second half stoppage time, with Nicolas Chinchilla (90+1’) and Oseas Guerra (90+4’) getting their names on the scoresheet.
Mexico 1 Panama 1
In the opening match of the day in Group E, Mexico and Panama played to a 1-1 draw, a result that was enough for El Tricolor to clinch first place in the group, while Panama finished in second.
Yerar Azcarate gave Mexico a 1-0 lead in the 34’, but Panama would respond in the second to earn a share of the spoils when Anel Ryce found the back of the net in the 54’.
Group F
Trinidad and Tobago 1 Barbados 1
The Estadio Pensativo in Antigua served as the location for the day’s matches in Group F and it was a happy one for Trinidad and Tobago, whose 1-1 draw with Barbados was enough to secure a third-place finish and a place in the next round.
The Bajan Tridents had dreams of a knockout stage appearance after Shamari Harewood scored in the 38’. That goal held up deep into the second half, but a late charge from the Soca Warriors proved decisive, as Lindell Sween struck in the 82’ to earn his side a 1-1 draw and a place in the Round of 16 thanks to a better goal difference than Barbados.
United States 1 Canada 0
The night was capped by a duel for first place in the group between the United States and Canada, and in the end the spoils belonged to the U.S., 1-0. Keyrol Figueroa, son of Honduras legend Maynor Figueroa, scored on a header in the 64’ to give the U.S. the three points and first place in the group, while Canada finished in second.
