Costa Rica Women — El Salvador Women, Central American and Caribbean Games

El Salvador secured a slender 1-0 win over Costa Rica in the Group Stage of the Central American and Caribbean Games on Friday evening. The result came from a single moment of precision in the second half, with A. Lopez finding the net in the 53rd minute to give the visitors all three points.

And here's the thing about this match — Costa Rica barely registered any pressure throughout. The hosts managed just three shots on target and one off target, while El Salvador came away with eight shots on target and twelve off target. The visitors had twelve corners to show for their attacking intent, compared to zero for Costa Rica. By then, the pattern was clear enough.

The statistics tell a story of dominance without conversion. El Salvador held 60 per cent of possession and forced Costa Rica into twenty-eight goal kicks, yet the final scoreline suggests the away side missed their chances. Costa Rica had twenty free kicks and three offsides, but without the attacking output to back up their territorial presence. One yellow card for the hosts, two for the visitors — nothing more dramatic than that.

The victory extends El Salvador's recent momentum after back-to-back results against Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Costa Rica, meanwhile, will be looking for responses after a heavy defeat to Canada in mid-June and this latest setback. The Group Stage continues with both sides carrying different levels of confidence into their next fixtures.