The blue and white team said goodbye to the 2023 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship with a close 3-2 victory over the Bahamas, crediting them with third place in the tournament.
Two goals from Jason Urbina and one from Heber Ramos sealed the victory with which the Selecta de Playa closed its participation in the Premundial Championship held in Nassau, Bahamas.
The teams showed up at Malcolm Park to play for the bronze medal of the 2023 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship and it took almost five minutes for them to create the first dangerous play.
Exon Perdomo received an unmarked ball, adjusted it and hit a clean overhead kick, which sent the ball to the base of the left post defended by Bahamian Michael Butler. With that first cuscatleco warning, a minute later the Bahamas returned the scare.
Goalkeeper Butler fired a shot that Salvadoran goalkeeper Eliodoro Portillo narrowly deflected.
The clock was ticking and they still didn’t hurt each other. With four minutes left to play in the first episode, Ramos took advantage of the fact that he did not have a mark and tried to reach the goal from behind, but the ball bounced off the Bahamian goal square.
The scoreless tie was broken until the second period. Precisely at the kick-off, a play that La Selecta has already rehearsed to perfection, Heber Ramos was in charge of opening the scoring with a placed and powerful shot, after Darwin Ramírez set up the ball for him.
With three minutes played in the second period, Jason Urbina added one more goal to his personal tally by scoring first after a measured pass from Perdomo. Three minutes later, Urbina celebrated again. This time his assistant was Ramos, who leaked an air pass from the defensive line, which he lowered his chest and defined as the greats.
The first goal for the locals came from a header from James Thompson, which upset the Salvadoran defense and surprised goalkeeper Erick Nájera. With the score 3-1, the teams went to rest.
El Salvador settled with the advantage, slowed down a bit against an opponent who seemed not to look for the game. However, the Bahamas capitalized on a free kick that resulted from a foul by Frank Velasquez and got within tying shot with two minutes to play.
Gritting their teeth and always looking for the rival goal, El Salvador managed to maintain the advantage on the scoreboard and closed their participation in the regional tournament with a victory over the locals and third place. The Selecta player succumbed in the semifinals on Saturday against the United States and with it lost the qualification to the World Cup of the modality in the United Arab Emirates.
“It was a very intense game, very beautiful. The Bahamas has improved a lot and this helps us to continue learning. We dedicate this third place to our families and to the people who have supported us unconditionally, this medal goes to them”, said Jason Urbina at the end of the game.
Urbina was El Salvador’s top scorer with 11 goals in six games played, closely followed by Perdomo, who finished with nine goals. With 11 goals, Urbina is also the leader in the tournament’s scoring competition, just waiting for what Nick Perera, captain of the United States, who has eight goals, can do in the final.
“(Having scored so many goals) means a lot to me, I have worked hard to be in optimal condition. There have been moments in which I have had to train only to improve little by little. I have had many falls, but I have gotten up, and thank God these are the results”, said Urbina.