COSTA Rica (2W-0D-0L, 6 points) became the first team to book a place in the Classification Stage of the 2017 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship with a 3-0 win over Suriname (0-1-1, 1) on Tuesday at the Estadio Maracana.
Thanks to the result, the Ticos reclaimed first place in Group B by leapfrogging Cuba (1-1-0, 4), a 2-1 winner over Canada (0-0-2, 0) earlier in the day, and can finish no worse than second. The top two teams from each of the three groups advance.
Julen Cordero gave Costa Rica a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute, when he ran onto Christian Muñoz’s perfectly played through ball and slotted past goalkeeper Fhabrisio Saling from nine yards out.
In the 64th minute, Josue Abarca doubled the advantage with a hustle play. The Costa Ricans through numbers go forward as an overwhelmed Suriname defence struggled to clear.
Andres Gomez got possession and crossed from near the right-end line. Saling got his fingers on the ball, but Abarca swooped in to finish from close range.
Walter Cortes missed a penalty kick in the 73rd minute, but Costa Rica made it 3-0 seven minutes later through Justin Montero, who slammed home from three yards out.
Tomorrow, Costa Rica return to action against Cuba in a top-of-the table clash, while now-eliminated Canada will face Suriname. (Sportsmax)