Mexico's Diego Martinez, left, battles for the ball with Jamaica's Damion Williams during their Under-23 Olympic qualifying match at the Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico on Wednesday night. Mexico won 4-0. Jamaica play Trinidad and Tobago tonight. - Reuters
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP):
MEXICO AND Costa Rica charged into the semifinal round of Olympic qualifying yesterday, obliterating Caribbean hopes of reaching Athens, Greece.
Mexico pounded a short-handed Jamaica 4-0 before a drum-beating crowd of 20,000 at Jalisco Stadium. Erick Scott's two goals led Costa Rica to a 4-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica never recovered from an initial blow. Team captain Shavar Thomas was expelled only three minutes into the game for a tackle of Mexico's Luis Ernesto Perez. Diego Martinez punched home the penalty kick for Mexico's first score.
"We were hard done and it changed the situation on the field," said Jamaican coach Peter Cargill.
Luis Ernesto Perez bounced a ball past a confused Jamaican defence at 17 minutes and Juan Pablo Garcia struck seven minutes later, charging up the middle and taking a pass from Perez.
Jamaican goalkeeper Richard McCallum was forced into repeated dramatic saves to keep Mexico from running up the score. Mexican attackers helped by missing several open shots. At 78 minutes, a shot bounced off the right upright and into McCallum's hands.
Mexico added a final goal in extra time when a header by Rafael Marquez Lugo bounced past McCallum.
Despite the victory and a 3-1 trouncing of Trinidad and Tobago on Monday, Mexico trails Costa Rica on goal difference heading into their own meeting tonight.
In the evening's first game, the Costa Ricans dominated throughout, exploiting gaping holes in the Caribbean team's defence.
Alvaro Saborio scored on a pass from Jose Villaboon at 29 minutes.
Scott struck at 63 and 69 minutes -- the latter when he was left unguarded in front of the net and Williams slipped lunging for his shot.
