Costa Rica defeat Canada 1-0
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-08 15:01

Jafet Soto converted a penalty kick in the first half and Costa Rica held on to beat Canada 1-0 on Thursday night in the first round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Costa Rica's Jafet Soto (10) is congratulated by teammates Christian Bolanos, left, and Dany Fonseca ,right, after Soto scored a first half goal on a penalty kick against Canada in a CONCACAF Gold Cup game Thursday, July 7, 2005 in Seattle. [AP]

Soto scored in the 30th minute, hooking a left-footed shot into the upper corner of the net, past a diving Greg Sutton.

"It was vital to get that first win," Costa Rica coach Alexander Guimaraes said through an interpreter. "The team showed it could play in a difficult situation with the other team attacking."

The penalty kick came after referee Peter Prendergast called Canada's Patrice Bernier for a handball in the penalty box. The Canadians argued the call, and captain Kevin McKenna was given a yellow card.

McKenna was sent off in the 80th minute after getting his second yellow card for a hard tackle on Steven Bryce.

"We were unlucky in every decision we had today, to be honest," Canada coach Frank Yallop said. "The two calls were not blatant, and that was probably the difference in the match."

Canada's Jim Brennan had a chance to tie it, but he missed an open net in injury time, hitting the side.

It was the third good chance for Canada in the final minutes. Iain Hume nearly scored in the 85th minute, but his shot from 30 yards deflected off defender Geiner Segura's head and was saved by Jose Francisco Porras.

Bernier had a chance from just inside the box saved by Porras early in injury time.

"I think a tie or a win for us would have been probably fair," Yallop said. "We were unlucky not to get a good result."

Costa Rica outshot Canada 6-5. The Canadians had a 10-3 advantage in corner kicks, but were called for offsides six times.

Costa Rica is expected to challenge the United States in Group B of the 12-team tournament — the championship of soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean region that is played every two years.

Costa Rica, ranked 24th in the latest FIFA World Rankings, will play the United States on Tuesday in Foxboro, Mass.

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