Action from the UNCAF under-20 qualifier Panama (red jersey) and Nicaragua on July 19, 2014, at the Estadio Las Delicias in Santa Tecla, El Salvador.
SAN TECLA, El Salvador – After a 5-0 win over Nicaragua on Saturday, Panama is the only team with maximum points after two matchdays in Central American qualifying for the next CONCACAF Under-20 Championship.
For complete schedule, results and scorers, click here.
Here’s a recap of the tripleheader action at the Estadio Las Delicias:
Panama 5, Nicaragua 0
In the opener, Ismael Diaz (21’, 43’) netted a first-half brace to lift his goal total to three in two games and Panama posted a 5-0 win over Nicaragua.
Chin Hormecha (2’) scored in a second straight match to give the Canaleros an early 1-0 lead, before Diaz (21’) doubled the advantage with his first goal.
In the 32nd minute, Carlos Small -- the 2014 Panamanian Clausura’s leading scorer with 10 goals -- made it 3-0 with his first tally of the competition.
Diaz (43’) struck again two minutes ahead of the break, while Ruben Barrow (74’) closed Panama’s goal account nearly 30 minutes into the second half.
Panama tops the table with six points.
Honduras 1, Costa Rica 1
Costa Rica and Honduras exchanged first-half goals in a 1-1 draw, leaving both with only a single point after two games each.
In the 20th minute, off a loose ball from a corner kick, Berny Burke fired into the upper-right corner from 12-yards out to give the Ticos a 1-0 lead.
Three minutes later, the Hondurans leveled thanks to an expertly placed 19-yard free kick by Deybi Flores.
El Salvador 2, Guatemala 2
El Salvador and Guatemala settled for a 2-2 draw in a match that saw all four goals come in the second half, three of them via penalty kicks.
Juan Barahona (63’) converted from the spot in a second consecutive game to put El Salvador ahead, 1-0.
Seven minutes later, Diego Palma (70’) made it two goals in as many matches knotting the score by drilling an effort past goalkeeper Carlos Cañas.
A Josue Hernandez (78’) penalty restored the host’s lead, but Mauro Portillo (89’) equalized with a minute left in normal time, also from the penalty kick route.
The Salvadorans were awarded a penalty kick in the first half, but Guatemala goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen made the save on Romilio Hernandez’s attempt.
