El Salvador secured a vital 2-0 victory over St Lucia in their Concacaf U17 World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday night at Estadio La Pedrera in Guatemala. The win places El Salvador second in Group H, while Jamaica maintains the top spot due to their superior goal difference. With this result, Jamaica will qualify for the U17 World Cup in Qatar with either a win or a draw against El Salvador on Saturday.

El Salvador started the match with intensity and broke the deadlock in the 16th minute when Luis Tobar struck from outside the box, his right-footed effort beating the St Lucia goalkeeper and finding the centre of the net. The Salvadorans continued pressing, with Jefferson Perla and Andrew Reyes both missing key opportunities to extend the lead before halftime.

St Lucia struggled to create clear-cut chances but had their moments. In the 19th minute, Justice Germaine’s header narrowly missed the top left corner, and in the 25th minute, Kai Russell’s left-footed strike from inside the box went just wide of the post. However, the St Lucian attack was unable to break through El Salvador’s well-organized defence.

El Salvador doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when Kerin Torres capitalized on a well-placed pass from Steven Espinoza, finishing calmly into the bottom left corner. St Lucia responded with increased urgency, but a series of missed attempts from Dervaj Edward and Thierry Morille prevented them from getting on the scoresheet.

Late in the match, El Salvador saw attempts from Jefferson Perla and Brandon Ramirez miss the target, while St Lucia’s last opportunity came from Dervaj Edward, whose powerful strike from outside the box soared over the crossbar. The game ended 2-0, solidifying El Salvador’s position in the group standings.

Despite the loss, St Lucia showed resilience and determination, but it was El Salvador’s clinical finishing and strong defence that secured them the crucial three points. With the decisive match against Jamaica approaching, all eyes will be on the top two teams as they vie for a spot in the U17 World Cup in Qatar.