Venezuela and Haiti aim for first place in Men’s Group B at 2018 CAC

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia.-  Venezuela and Haiti, each with one win, will look to take the next step to the semifinals of the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games on Monday at the Romelio Martinez Stadium.

The clash will be a battle for first place in Group B. The Haitians won their first outing 1-0 over El Salvador with a goal from Jean Jacques Daley in the 28th minute of the first half.
 

As for Venezuela, it upset Mexico 2-1. The Aztecas grabbed a 1-0 lead thanks to Daniel Eduardo Aguirre Lara’s penalty conversion in the 42nd minute. But Venezuela responded with scores from Yohandry Orozco in the 50th minute and Antonio Romero Urquiola in the 64th minute, which sealed the victory for the Vinotinto.
 

In Group’s B’s other match on Monday, Mexico will look to bounce back when it faces El Salvador.

Honduras and Colombia head up Group A

Group A leaders Honduras and Colombia, each with four points, played to a 1-1 draw on Sunday, leaving it all to play for on Tuesday to determine which teams advance to the semifinals.

A 40th minute goal from Douglas Francisco Martinez gave the Catrachos a 1-0 advantage, only for Leonardo Fabio Castro to equalize for the home side on 65 minutes.

With a better goal difference of +2, Honduras leads the group, while Colombia sits in second place with a +1 goal difference.

In the group’s other match, Costa Rica kept their hopes alive of advancing to the semifinals by defeating Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 in a hard-fought encounter. The Ticos took the lead on nine minutes when Randall Enrique Leal opened the scoring. Andres Gomez Rodriguez doubled the Ticos’ advantage in the 16th minute before Enrique Leal once again scored to make it 3-0 in the 60th minute.

The Caribbean side came back strong in the second half and a John Paul Rochford penalty conversion in the 60th minute cut the deficit. Nickel Orr then added a second in the 67th minute, but in the end Trinidad and Tobago’s comeback attempt would fall just short, as it suffered its second defeat and is eliminated from advancing to the semifinals.