BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) – Mexico slumped to their fourth successive away defeat in World Cup qualifiers with a 2-1 reverse in El Salvador on Saturday, while the United States recovered to get their campaign back on track for South Africa.
Midfielder Celso Borges scored twice as CONCACAF region leaders Costa Rica backed up their win over the U.S. on Wednesday with a 3-2 triumph at Trinidad & Tobago to stay top of the final stage standing as the marathon tournament nears its climax.
Mexico dropped to fifth in the six-team group after Eliseo Quintanilla’s late penalty left them on three points from four games, ruining coach Javier Aguirre’s second debut with the side.
The top three teams qualify directly for South Africa and the fourth plays off against the fifth South American team for an additional berth.
Mexico have lost all three away games — against U.S., Honduras and El Salvador — and were also beaten in Honduras in the last away game of the competition’s previous stage.
Four of their remaining six games are at home but they have no more margins for error.
Former Atletico Madrid coach Aguirre, brought back after Sven-Goran Eriksson was sacked in April, had promised a more positive attitude but instead saw his team fall behind to Julio Martinez’s 11th goal at San Salvador’s hostile Cuscatlan stadium.
Mexico equalised in the 71st minute with a penalty converted by playmaker Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who was recalled by Aguirre despite announcing his international retirement under Eriksson last year.
But Oscar Rojas was adjudged to have handled with four minutes left and Quintanilla stepped up to score and take El Salvador to third place with five points.
“Beating Mexico is a special sensation,” El Salvador coach and former Mexico international Carlos de los Cobos told reporters. “We have a team of players who know how to play football.”
