“We are calm; we have prepared well. We are in a good state especially with our attitude. We intend on arriving with our best level and achieve the result for which we are hoping.” –Juan Arango, Venezuelan strikerVenezuela visited Uruguay in crucial battle between two of the three teams, Chile being the other, battling for the fifth spot in South America and the spot in the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL playoff. It was cold and windy in Montevideo, something that summery Venezuela was not totally prepared to face. Uruguay applied pressure early and often, though goalkeeper Reny Vega helped the Venezuelans stay on level footing for a short while. Uruguay converted on a close header after the ball took some bounces off a corner kick. The score remained 1-0 through the first half. Venezuela never really threatened the Uruguayan goal but once. Luckily for them, a dipping Arango free kick created a rebound that was easily put away for a 1-1 score. Venezuela almost scored later on an own goal, but Uruguay was fortunate that the ball went wide. With less than five minutes to play, Uruguayan substitute Vicente Sánchez hit the crossbar on a great chance, and Venezuela hung on for a 1-1 tie. Venezuela have seven points with thirteen games left to play; Uruguay have five.
“The team played with heart,” explained César Farias, the coach of Venezuela.
Costa Rica visited Grenada, but only after the visit did the Costa Ricans realize that battle they are going to have to advance to Round Three. Grenada took two goals off of the Costa Ricans within thirty minutes, much to the delight of the crowd at St. George’s. Costa Rica pulled to 2-1 by halftime, but it was a red card by Grenada’s Ricky Charles in minute fifty that gave the Costa Rica the opportunity to tie the game. With the aggregate tied at 2-2, the Costa Ricans gladly return home for the second leg. Grenada took three yellows to complement the Charles mistake, and Costa Rica suffered two cautions of their own.
Costa Rica’s coach Hernán Medford spoke after the game. "We weren't as bad as the score suggests. We do need to improve, though, and play better in the second leg, but we weren't terrible tonight."
Guyana visited their fellow CONCACAF South Americans and neighbors Suriname in the first leg of their second-round tie. After a scoreless first half in Paramaribo, Suriname surged ahead with a goal before ten minutes had gone by in the second. Even though Suriname went down a man due Rinaldo Lupson’s second yellow in minute eighty-two, they held on for the win and a 1-0 lead in the aggregate with a game to go in Guyana.
Honduras went to Puerto Rico looking to finish off the tie in style. Puerto Rico had to overcome a 4-0 deficit at home in rainy Bayamón, which they were unable to do. Honduras scored first, but Puerto Rico had a surprising 2-1 lead going into the half. Though the Honduras came out with a 2-2 draw and a 6-2 aggregate victory, the Puerto Ricans could at least be proud of their marked improvement. Honduras are the first team to advance to Round Three of CONCACAF qualifying.
“This is a great result for us. Puerto Rico have shown much improvement of late, and we are just happy to be moving on." – Reinaldo Rueda of Honduras
"They have a lot of physical strength. It will be no easy fixture for us." Ramon Maradiaga, coach of Guatemala
Perhaps Guatemala over estimated their visiting opponents from St. Lucia, but it’s better safe than sorry. Guatemala made it rain with three goals in each half, including two in the second-half stoppage time. To make matters worse for St. Lucia, John Joseph was booted in the seventy-seventh minute for his second yellow. The six-goal shutout win all but guarantees Guatemala’s spot in Round Three.
“We're not in a good position but the only way to get out of it is by beating Colombia. Now we'll really see if we're man enough and can turn the situation around. We're really fired up and we know we need to win on Saturday to keep our qualification hopes alive." -Perú midfielder Norberto Solano
Colombia visited Perú knowing they needed points to get separation from teams like Uruguay, Chile, and Venezuela. Perú just wanted to be respected once again. The game was pretty rough, with Perú earning three of the five yellows. A goal off a rebound less than ten minutes into the game by visiting Colombia gave the Peruvians no reason to believe that respect would be easy to come by. A goal for Perú before the half earned them a 1-1 score going into the locker room. Perú actually were the better team in the second half, but sadly they were not rewarded with the win as the score ended at 1-1. Colombia advance to third in the group with nine points, while Perú have three thanks to three ties at home. Perú are only ahead of Bolivia in the chase for South American supremacy.
Goal scorers:
Uruguay: Lugano 12
Venezuela: Vargas 56
Grenada: Modeste 20; Roberts 27
Costa Rica: Alonso 42; J. Diaz 75
Suriname: Sandvliet 53
Puerto Rico: Megaloudis 31; Villegas 40
Honduras: Suazo 22; Palacios 52
Guatemala: M. Rodríguez 6; C. Ruiz 37, 40, 58, 90+3; Trigueros 90+1
Colombia: Rodallega 8
Chile: Mariño 40
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