USA beat Canada to win Group B at Gold Cup
United States captured Group B at the CONCACAF Gold Cup by holding on to beat Canada 1-0 on Sunday.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Shaquell Moore scored the fastest goal in national team history as the United States captured Group B at the CONCACAF Gold Cup by holding on to beat Canada 1-0 on Sunday.
Moore, with his first international goal, scored just 20 seconds into the contest and goalkeeper Matt Turner made three second half saves as the US finished 3-0 in group play, needing a victory to claim top spot over runner-up Canada.
Moore hammered a right-footed shot from close range to the center of the goal after taking a pass from Sebastian Lletget.
The inexperienced American squad will play the runner-up from Group C in the knockout round while Canada, who needed just a tie to win the group, will square off against the Group C winner.
The clubs had split their last two games coming into Sunday s match at Children s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
Moore s first minute goal was all the US would need but Canada made the hosts work for the win, especially in the second half when they kept Turner busy.
The Americans failed to muster a shot on goal against Canadian keeper Maxime Crepeau in the second half. The Canadians, who had more corners three to one, were trying to win on US soil for the first time since 1957.
- Honduras advance to Gold Cup quarters -
Honduras defeated Central American rival Panama with a 3-2 come-from-behind win Saturday to punch their ticket to the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals.
After scoring four goals in their Group D opening match, Honduras picked up where it left off when Romell Quioto opened the scoring in the 22nd minute in Houston, Texas.
Eric Davis scored the first goal for Panama in the 32nd minute to tie it 1-1.
Cesar Yanis scored his first Gold Cup goal just before the half, on a cross from teammate Alberto Quintero, to give Panama a 2-1 lead.
Midfielder Alexander Lopez scored Honduras second goal in the 61st minute to tie the contest. Lopez took a shot from the top of the and blasted it into the right corner of the goal to make it 2-2.
Quioto would score the eventual winner in the 65th minute, receiving a long pass from centre back Kevin Alvarez and finding the mark.
In the other Group D match, Qatar used a dominating first half to post its first ever Gold Cup victory with a resounding 4-0 win over Grenada.
Qatar scored their third goal in the 36th minute of the first half when Muhammad Mustafi scored on a header that came off a corner kick.
Qatar carried the momentum over to the second half by adding a fourth goal less than 60 minutes in. Center forward Almoez Ali got open at the top of the six-yard-box and drove it home.
