[Supernan]

Costa Rica menang 5-0 di laga pembuka Gold Cup 2011. Meksiko lagi main nih, Lil Pea starter


Costa Rica opens Gold Cup with 5-0 victory

By Robert Crasner, MLSSoccer.com

ARLINGTON, Texas - Marco Urena scored a goal in each half and Costa Rica opened the Gold Cup with a 5-0 victory over Cuba on Sunday.

Urena gave the Ticos the lead in the seventh minute and then scored the first of two by Costa Rica within two minutes to start the second half. Alvaro Saborio, Heiner Mora and Joel Campbell also scored for Costa Rica, which has won all four matches against Cuba in the Gold Cup.

With the win, Costa Rica improved its record against Caribbean teams at the regional tournament with a 10th win in 16 matches.

Cuba remained winless against Central American teams and also extended its winless skid to eight in the Gold Cup, having lost seven of those since a 2-0 win over Canada 2-0 at the 2003 Gold Cup.

The opening game of the regional tournament began with Cuba controlling possession but Costa Rica, runners-up at the 2002 Gold Cup, struck first on the counter attack with its first opportunity on goal.

Los Ticos played a long ball played over the top of the Cuban defense to a streaking Cristian Bolaños, who settled on the left side before sending a low low cross to Ureña. The 21-year-old striker beat his defender to the ball and deflected it with his right foot, sending it past surprised Cuban goalkeeper Odelin Molina.

Cuba had an opportunity to equalize minutes later but forward Alberto Gomez, alone against Costa Rican goalkeeper Keilor Navas, lobbed his shot over the crossbar.

Afterward, Costa Rica controlled the pace and the possession, building on its lead with a goal just before halftime. Midfielder and captain Celso Borges sent a ball over the top and down that center that Saborio ran onto unopposed, and finished from inside the area past Molina for a 2-0 advantage.

Two more breakaways inside the first two minutes of the second half put the game out of reach. Captilazing on failed offside traps by Cuba, Ureña, a Gold Cup rookie, added to his goal total in the 42 seconds after the second-half kickoff, with Mora converting a similar breakaway one minute later.

The most spectacular goal of the night may have been the last one, as second-half substitute Campbell unleashed a fierce volley that from a tight angle that found the top right corner of the goal in the 71st minute.

Cuba made two substitutions to its forward line but rarely threatened Costa Rican keeper until a header by Dagoberto Quesada went wide with five minutes remaining.

Both teams play next on Thursday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Costa Rica plays El Salvador, followed by Cuba taking on Group A favorite Mexico in the second game of the doubleheader.