At El Trébol in Guatemala City, a night expected to be tight became an emphatic 6-0 defeat of El Salvador, with Guatemala finding the goals and confidence that had eluded them on their recent travels. Coach Luis Fernando Tena admitted that even his own camp had not envisaged such a margin.
The news from the club
Guatemala’s first win of the year ended a sequence of five consecutive defeats and lifted the side into second place in Group B. Tena had expected a narrow success, perhaps by a single goal, rather than a match in which his team converted so ruthlessly and El Salvador failed to take their opportunities.
“The scoreline was completely unexpected,” Tena said. “We thought a 1-0 or 2-1 win would have been enough to leave happy. It was an unusual game: everything went right for one side and wrong for the other. We had the finishing that was missing in Jamaica.”
William Jehú Fajardo led the scoring with the first hat-trick of his Guatemala career. Darwin Lom, Rubio Rubín and Jorge Aparicio added the remaining goals in the six-goal victory.
Tena singled out Fajardo’s instincts in the penalty area and his ability to find room before finishing. He described the forward as an important attacking discovery, while also praising centre-back Allen Yanes for his work across the team’s two matches.
The coach felt the result brought a measure of response after Guatemala’s loss in Jamaica, though he stressed that he had anticipated a far more difficult contest. He also said the win mattered for the supporters who celebrated at El Trébol.
The road to Surinam
The celebrations came with two selection concerns before Friday’s away match against Surinam. Óscar Santis suffered a significant muscular problem and will undergo an MRI scan to establish the extent of the injury. Tena indicated that the outlook was poor and that the attacker is unlikely to be available.
Lom, meanwhile, will miss the Surinam trip through an accumulation of yellow cards.
Guatemala will return to El Trébol on Monday to complete this run of fixtures. Tena hopes the result against El Salvador can help restore the bond with the local public and produce a fuller stadium for the next home occasion.
“We hope this helps reconnect us with the fans,” he said. “The stadium needs to be full, and strong performances can bring people back.”
