MIAMI – Omar Cummings scored with a flick of his right foot in the 70th minute and Jamaica beat El Salvador 1-0 Friday (July 10) to keep alive its hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The result clinched a berth in the final eight for Costa Rica, and left Jamaica third in the group with three points ahead of El Salvador, which was eliminated. Two teams from each of the three groups advance along with the two best third-place teams.
The Caribbean champion will have to wait for the results of the other two groups Saturday and Sunday to see if it advances.
Canada finished atop the group with seven points, three ahead Costa Rica. Jamaica finished ahead of El Salvador due to Friday’s victory.
Neither side created much in the game, generating only a handful of chances each in the finale of Group A.
Jamaica started with a bit more possession, but both sides seemed mired in a midfield battle on the artificial turf at FIU Stadium.
Cummings had probably what was the best chance for either team before the goal, working free near the top of the penalty area before unleashing a right-footed shot that Salvadoran goalkeeper Miguel Montes had to stretch to tip it wide of the far post.
Jamaica went ahead when Luton Shelton created space on the left, turned and curled a low, bouncing cross to the near post, where Cummings had worked inside Alexander Escobar and just managed to redirect the ball between Montes and the upright.
El Salvador, which would have advanced with a draw, had its lst chance in the third minute of injury time when Montes’ free kick from 19 yards struck the left post.
