Goals and Highlights: Mexico 2-0 El Salvador in Qatar 2022 Qualifiers

We hope you enjoyed our coverage of Mexico vs. El Salvador in the CONCACAF qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Stay tuned to VAVEL.COM for updates throughout the day.

The match ends at the Cuscatlan Stadium in Sal Salvador, Mexico takes the three points and becomes the absolute leader of the CONCACAF qualifiers with 14 points. 

In the first half, both teams started with high revolutions, however, El Salvador gradually faded while El Tri went from strength to strength to take the lead with a goal from a corner kick scored by Héctor Moreno. 

In the second half, an early sending off for the home team changed the rhythm of the match, however, Mexico would not be left behind with the sending off of Néstor Araujo. Finally, Raúl Jiménez scored a goal to end the match with a 2-0 victory for Mexico. 

¡Triunfo en el Cuscatlán! 👊🏻 🇲🇽
Sumamos tres puntos importantes para seguir en la cima de la Eliminatoria. ⚽️

El marcador final es presentado por @ATTMx:#ApasionATT | #CambiaElJuego pic.twitter.com/LMdJ1U8wrh

— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) October 14, 2021

last ten minutes of the match!

Mexico is still up on the scoreboard but El Salvador continues to knock on the door defined by 

YELLOW CARD FOR HECTOR MORENO! El Salvador goes all out on the attack and forces the Mexican defense to make tactical fouls.

Nestor Araujo is sent off and leaves Mexico with 10 players.

Double change for Mexico!

Out: Funes Mori, Orbelin Pineda.

In: Raúl Jiménez, Héctor Herrera.

Larín enters from the right flank and sends a cross that forces the Mexican defense to send the ball to a corner kick.

A cross to the far post with the intention of finding Rogelio Funes Mori but the goalkeeper comes out well to keep the ball.

INTO THE LOCKER ROOM! A foul on Funes Mori by Mario Jacobo (El Salvador) and he is sent off.

The second half begins at the Cuscatlán Stadium, Mexico leads by the minimum.

The first half is over on the Cuscatlán pitch, El Salvador is down 1-0 to the Tricolor with a goal by Héctor Moreno in the 30th minute.

Isaac Antonio Portillo Molina (El Salvador) is yellow carded.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL FOR MEXICO, TRICOLOR GOAL

Héctor Moreno appeared to finish inside the six-yard box after a well taken corner kick by Cata Domínguez. 

Luis Romo's dangerous cross ends in a goal kick for La Selecta. At the moment, it is Mexico who has the initiative in attack.

Orbelin Pineda fouled in midfield! Mexico continues to insist on aerial play but El Salvador's defense continues to clear all the attacks.

Mexico continues to press and attack down the flanks but in the last quarter of the field they have not been able to finish the play in a good way.

Match Stopped | Nestor Araujo hurts the man badly and lies down on the turf to receive medical assistance.

A dangerous cross ends up in the hands of Mario Gonzales, Mexico continues to be very intense on the flanks while El Salvador tries to generate damage on the counterattack.

Alexis Vega hits a low shot from the left side that ends up in the hands of Salvadoran goalkeeper Martínez.

Chucky Lozano's shot goes just wide! From a cross from the left flank Hirving Lozano looked for Hirving Lozano at the far post but the shot ends up wide.

The match begins at Cuscatlán Stadium, Mexico faces El Salvador from Cuscatlán Stadium.

In a few minutes we will kick off with the match: El Salvador vs Mexico, a duel corresponding to the CONCACAF octagonal final on the road to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

El Salvador's coach, Hugo Perez, let it be known prior to the match against the Mexican National Team that Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's team is the best in CONCACAF, although this will not stop him from going for the result next Wednesday.

"The reality is that we know where we stand, there is no need to invent anything; we are going against the best in CONCACAF, we know it and that is how we will take the field, as a team that has the mission to get the best out of itself", said the head coach at the press conference after the match on the fourth day of the final round of 16 on the road to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

This is how Gerardo Martino's players will start out, looking to remain undefeated so far in the CONCACAF octagonal stage on the road to the World Cup in Qatar.

¡TODOS JUNTOS! 💚 🇲🇽
Aquí el XI que manda el Profesor Gerardo Martino para buscar tres puntos en el 🏟 Cuscatlán de 🇸🇻.

¡Gracias, @CocaColaMx y @PoweradeMx! 👊🏻#PasiónyOrgullo | #FMFporNuestroFútbol pic.twitter.com/7kLWrkwG3c

— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) October 14, 2021

Since 1993, in the run-up to the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Mexico's history at the Cuscatlán Stadium began on the wrong foot, in a match held on April 4, 1993, where the goal scored by Alberto García Aspe was not enough to prevent El Tri's downfall in that qualifying round.

Four years later, on the road to the France 98 World Cup, Luis García gave Mexico its first victory in El Salvador in a World Cup qualifier, with a solitary 1-0, El Tri silenced the stands to qualify for the World Cup.

After two World Cup cycles of waiting, Mexico returned to the Cuscatlán for the nightmare of 2009, however, they made it clear that they are the masters and lords of the Cuscatlán, since despite the terrible qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, they had no problems to win on foreign soil. 

The last time they met at that venue was during the last World Cup in Russia, despite El Salvador's winning start, El Tri put things in order by turning the game around with a resounding 3-1 victory.

The Cuscatlán Stadium is a soccer stadium located in the city of San Salvador, El Salvador. It was inaugurated in 1976. It can hold 44,836 spectators, making it the stadium with the largest fan capacity in Central America and the Caribbean. The stadium has undergone constant remodeling, among which we can mention those of 1997, 2007, 2008, 2015, with the change of colors alluding to the country's flag (blue and white), and the most recent in 2020, with the installation of a new 100 m² 4K LED screen and 54 new 1,500 watt metal halide lights with a capacity of 1,000 luxes, and an automated irrigation system.

El Salvador, coached by Hugo Pérez, has been working hard to neutralize the best offensive line in the CONCACAF final round on Wednesday. Despite the lack of goals on offense, La Selecta will focus for this match on its defensive line, which will surely aim to keep a clean sheet at all costs after being the third worst offense so far in the Octagonal.

The Mexican national team traveled to El Salvador on Tuesday, where it will begin a four-game away streak in the CONCACAF qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup on Wednesday, with the challenge of maintaining its status as leader.

Argentinian coach Gerardo Martino's side traveled without defenders César Montes, who is suspended, and Jorge Sánchez, who is injured. Midfielder Sebastián Córdova admitted that El Tri does not see the match as a battle between the top of the standings with 11 points and the second-to-last team with 5.

The last time Mexico and El Salvador met was on July 18, in matchday 3 of the group stage of the 2021 Gold Cup. The result was 1-0 in favor of Gerardo 'Tata' Martino's team, thanks to a goal by Luis 'Chaka' Rodríguez.

Throughout history, the two teams have faced each other 35 times, with El Tri winning 30 games, La Selecta winning one and La Selecta one and winning four.

The tricolor is already at the Cuscatlán Stadium to face its similar of El Salvador. 

¡Llegamos al 🏟 Cuscatlán! ⚽️

🔜 🇸🇻 🆚 🇲🇽#PasiónyOrgullo | #FMFporNuestroFútbol pic.twitter.com/DmitksFAAU

— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) October 14, 2021

The Salvadorans were left with five points and dropped to sixth place after their defeat at the National Stadium in Costa Rica. The goals came from Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges for the Ticos and Jairo Henríquez for the Cuscatlecos. After these results, the Hondurans remain at the bottom of the table with three points, while the Jamaicans are in last place with only two.

Mexico regained first place in the CONCACAF Pre-World Cup on Sunday, thanks to a 3-0 win over Honduras and a 1-0 defeat of the United States in Panama. The Aztecs, undefeated in the qualifiers, had no problem defeating the 'Catrachos' at the Azteca, and took advantage of the victory to shake off the doubts that had been lingering after two consecutive draws.

The goals were scored by Sebastián Córdova, Rodrigo Funes Mori and Hirving Lozano. El Tri now leads the standings with 11 points, after three home games and two away games.

The wait is over, today begins the last confrontation for the CONCACAF teams in search of a ticket to the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Last week Mexico obtained three golden points that placed them at the top of the final octagonal with 11 points obtained after defeating Honduras by a convincing score of 3 goals to zero. For its part, La Selecta lost to Costa Rica in Tico after losing the minimum advantage with two goals from the locals, scored by Bryan Ruíz and Celso Borges.

Today, there could be many changes in the standings as a loss or a win could move the teams closer or further away from the qualification zone.

Current standings:

1: Mexico

2: United States

3: Panama

4: Canada

5: Costa Rica

6: El Salvador

7: Honduras

8: Jamaica

Do not miss a detail of the match with the live updates and commentaries of VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and lineups for this El Salvador vs México match.

This is the start time of the game El Salvador vs Mexico of 13th October in several countries:

Argentina: 23:00 PM

Bolivia: 22:00 PM

Brazil: 23:00 PM

Chile: 20:00 PM

Colombia: 21:00 PM

Ecuador: 21:00 PM

USA (ET): 22:00 PM

Spain: 5:00 AM

Mexico: 21:00 PM

Paraguay: 20:00 PM

Peru: 20:00 PM

Uruguay: 23:00 PM

Venezuela: 20:00 PM

Guillermo Ochoa, the starting goalkeeper, an American idol and native of Guadalajara, is one of the most decisive elements in matches of great importance, since his arrival to the national team, he has appeared in 119 matches in the starting lineup, in 48 occasions he has left the three posts with zero goals and totals 123 goals allowed. After 10,621 minutes played and with his morale high for being one of the leading men of the Mexican team, Ochoa could be the player who becomes the idol of the fans by once again being a factor in a match like this and giving his team three golden points in this final octagonal of the CONCACAF.

MLS soccer star and a wall down the Seattle Sounders' flank, Alex Roldan, is one of the most decisive players on the pitch for the El Salvador side. Since his arrival to the national team, the Salvadoran nationalized American has played 587 minutes, in which he has appeared 8 times in the starting lineup, scoring once. After playing the last game and being one of the important men in the national team so far, Roldán could be the one to put the balance in favor of the Honduran team at the beginning of the second round of the final octagonal of the CONCACAF.

G. Ochoa; L. Rodríguez, C. Montes, H. Moreno, J. Gallardo; H. Herrera, E. Álvarez, F. Córdova; J. Corona, R. Jiménez, H. Lozano.

M. Martínez; B. Tamacas, E. Acosta, R. Domínguez, A. Roldán; N. Orellana, J. Henríquez, D. Cerén; E. Hernández; J. Rivas, M. Monterrosa.

Mexico and El Salvador have met on a total of 35 occasions (4 wins for La Selecta, 30 wins for the tricolor and 1 draw) where the scales have tipped abysmally in favor of the Mexican team that enjoys these matches. Likewise, in terms of goals, it is also the Mexican national team who leads the way, having scored 102 goals to 20 Salvadoran goals. Their last meeting dates back to the last 2021 Gold Cup, where the team coached by Gerardo Martino won against La Selecta by the minimum difference.

For this match, Oshane Nation will be the central referee, accompanied by Nicholas Anderson and Iroots Apletton as assistants 1 and 2 respectively, and Pierre-Luc Lauziere will be the fourth referee. In the VAR, referees David Gantar and Benjamín Pineda will be in charge of monitoring any dubious play inside the box or that merits a red card.

The national team of El Salvador is dreaming of entering the top world soccer tournament, however, they have not had the best start after having started the first round of the qualifiers with 2 defeats and 1 draw, also, they managed to get three points at the beginning of this second round and a defeat against the Ticos, results that place them in 6th place. To keep dreaming of achieving their goal, they will have to face Mexico, a team that so far has never lost and is in one of its best moments at the top of the final octagonal.

Mexico's national team has had an excellent performance so far in the qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, simply, in the first round they got 7 out of 9 possible points that placed them as leaders, and for the second date, the tricolor team has 4 out of 6 possible points at the moment that places them at the top of the table with 11 points obtained. Likewise, the team coached by Gerardo Martino still does not know what it is to lose and they are the only undefeated team so far in the octagonal, also, they are the favorites to win the first qualification ticket, so everything indicates that El Tri could get another victory or another draw in La Selecta's lands.

The road to Qatar 2022 resumes in CONCACAF, after the FIFA date in September, the teams will again have to gather their best players to continue with the journey of the final octagonal and seek a ticket to the greatest soccer fair: The Qatar 2022 World Cup. Both teams are in need of points to continue thinking about the World Cup dream, so winning, drawing or losing could mean a huge difference between being out of the goal or not.

The El Salvador vs Mexico match will be played at the Cuscatlán Stadium, in San Salvador, El Salvador. The kick-off is scheduled at 22:00 pm ET.

My name is Luis Miguel and I will be your host for this game. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, roster updates, and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.