The 6-0 win for El Salvador over the Bahamas was a scary display of beach soccer for the rest of the competition as they showed a complete lack of mercy and played as complete a game as they have all tournament. They forced mistakes, limited their own errors, scored goals, and saved shots. The hosts took an early lead, using an array of shots and techniques, then played keep-away from the Rake and Scrape Boys. The crowd was feeding off the team and vice-versa and the energy was a thing of beauty. The victory assures El Salvador a spot in the semifinals and they will face a very good looking Costa Rican side on Friday. The winner of that match will be going to Portugal in July for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The Bahamas played an extremely good tournament, turned some heads, surprised people and they look to be getting stronger as a team. They will play in the 5th place playoff in Friday against Trinidad and Tobago.
There were no shortage of opportunities for El Salvador in the opening frame and with a deep team, they never have a shortage of scoring options. The Bahamas rode out the early attacks from the hosts and played really well to keep the score level at 0 going into the heart of the frame. The Rake and Scrape Boys were not generating many offenses chances of their own, but that suited them alright as long as they were within striking distance and kept the score close, which they did. The great defensive effort eventually gave way to a goal at the midway point in the period, but the game was far from over. When the first 12 minutes came to an end, Los Custcatlecos had found their way to a 2-0 lead. If you have ever seen food explode in a microwave or witnessed the exact moment that water boils out of a heating pot, you know exactly what the game and stadium felt like on the opening restart of the middle frame. The fans erupted when Ruiz, the captain, scored to push the lead to 3-0 and create an atmosphere that is rarely rivaled in sports. The El Salvadorians tallied one more goal in the period and took a 4-0 lead into the final frame.
The Bahamas did not struggle on defense, they were playing extremely sound but the aggressiveness and quick agility of El Salvador did make for a disadvantage. The Bahamas stopped many shots and attacks in the opening minutes of the final frame and even rattled the frame of El Salvador’s goal, but the comeback was not happening fast enough. More than halfway through the final period, neither side had scored and Los Cuscatlecos held the comfortable 4-0 lead. Both squads knew exactly how the other played and what to expect in the match but El Salvador was just too much for the Bahamas on this day and when the last whistle sounded, the El Salvadorians were up 6-0.
Goals: 1-0: Batres, min. 6 (1); 2-0: Velasquez, min. 1 (1); 3-0: Ruiz, min. 11 (2); 4-0: Batres, min. 6 (2); 5-0: Velasquez, min. 3 (3); 6-0: Ruiz, min. 0 (3).
CONCACAF BEACH SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS EL SALVADOR 2015 (FIFA BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP – CONCACAF QUALIFIER EL SALVADOR)
Results Today:
Thursday 02.04.15
16:30 – Costa Rica 2-1 Trinidad and Tobago (Quarterfinals)
17:45 – USA 7-3 Jamaica (Quarterfinals)
19:00 – Mexico 5-2 Guatemala (Quarterfinals)
20:15 – El Salvador 6-0 Bahamas (Quarterfinals)
Upcoming Matches:
Friday 03.04.15
16:30 –Jamaica vs. Guatemala (Playoff for 5th Place)
17:45 –Trinidad and Tobago vs. Bahamas (Playoff for 5th Place)
19:00 – USA vs. Mexico (Semifinals)
20:15 – Costa Rica vs. El Salvador (Semifinals)
Photo credit: Manuel Queimadelos/beachsoccer.com
For more information, pictures and schedules, please do not hesitate to get back to us, or refer to www.beachsoccer.com.
