Action from the first leg of the Central American playoff for a place in the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship between host Guatemala (white jersey) and El Salvador on January 17, 2015, in San Miguel Petapa. (Photo: Juan Meoño)
SAN MIGUEL PETAPA, Guatemala – El Salvador edged closer to a place in the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship, defeating host Guatemala 1-0 in the first leg of their Central American playoff on Saturday at the Estadio Julio Armando Cóbar.
Carlos Menendez scored the only goal with an eighth minute header.
Salvadoran goalkeeper Pedro Medrano was called on to make key saves in order to preserve the shutout. The most crucial one came in the 44th minute, when he stopped an Abel Lemus penalty kick.
The Guatemalans hit the woodwork on three occasions and John Mendez, in a one-v-one situation with Medrano, sent an effort over the crossbar with only five minutes left in normal time.
The sides will meet for the second leg on January 24 at the Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador. The series winner will advance to the CONCACAF event, February 27 – March 15, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
January 17, 2015: San Miguel Petapa, Guatemala – Estadio Julio Armando Cobar (A: 1500)
Guatemala 0
El Salvador 1 (Carlos Menendez 8’)
Guatemala: Gilder Lemus; David Ramos (Juan Diego Riley 85’), Fernando Fuentes, Mario Rodas, Esteban Garcia (Marconi Estrada 66’), John Mendez, Diego Fernando Raymundo Lima, Victor Valdez (Gonzalo Deras 46’), Erick Soto, Armando Aroche, Abel Lemus. DT: Juan Manuel Funes
El Salvador: Pedro Medrano; Joaquin Lozano, Alexis Montes, Ronaldo Chicas, Juan Jose Martinez (Jorge Najarro 88’), Luis Azenon, Gerardo Molina, Carlos Menendez (Carlos Medrano 50’), Luis Rivera (Marvin Aranda 57’), Mauricio Gomez, Fernando Quintanilla. DT Jose Rafael Escobar
