Canada Falls to Host Guatemala at CONCACAF Futsal Championship

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Canada opened the 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship on the wrong side of a 7-3 win by the host Guatemala. The Monday 2 July match was Canada’s first of three group matches, all to be played at the Domo Polideportivo in Ciudad Guatemala. Canada’s next match is Tuesday 3 July against USA.

Canada took a 2-0 lead early in the match, with Guatemala scoring an own goal at 8’29 (from a Jordan Ongaro shot) before Matthew Rios doubled the score three minutes later on a penalty. Guatemala came back, however, with Alan Jose Aguilar scoring on a penalty before Humberto Escobar equalised on a volley at 11’46.

After holding off mounting Guatemala pressure, Canada took the lead again after a brief time out called by Canadian coach Sipho Sibiya. On a two-on-one at 15’31, Alvaro Yaques scored Canada’s third goal of the match. Just over two minutes later, Guatemala equalised again, this time making it 3-3 on Escobar’s second goal of the match.

In the second half, Guatemala did all the scoring as it hit the back of the net four times to the delight of the home crowd. Of note, Escobar scored his third and fourth goals of the match. William Ramirez and Pablo Andres Estrada were the other goal scorers. Ramirez became just the fourth goalkeeper to score in an official CONCACAF match.

Canada’s futsal roster featured starters Joshua Lemos (goal), Bruno Xavier, Steve De Blasio, Matthew Rios and Robbie Aristodemo as well as substitutes Robbie Tice, Daniel Chamale, Jordan Ongaro, Louis-Charles Laliberté, Alex Elliott and Alvaro Yaques.

Guatemala’s roster featured starters Williams Ramirez (goal), Humberto Armanco, Alan Josue Aguilar, Jaime Estuardo De Leon and Edgar Alejando Macal as well as substitutes Jose Rafael Gonzalez, Edgar Ernesto Sanitzo, Daniel Eduardo Tejada, Pablo Andres Estrada, Walter Alejandro Enriquez and Erick Acevedo. The team is coached by Carlos Eduardo Estrada.

Of note, Canadians Chamale, Lemos, Yaques, Aristodemo, Tice and Rios were all booked, while both Yaques and assistant coach Lorenzo Redwood were sent off. Guatemala’s Escobar, De Leon, Macal and Ramirez were also booked.

Attendance to the Guatemala-Canada match was 2,510.