SAN SALVADOR, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Jose Fajardo scored in the first half as Panama revived its World Cup qualification hopes with a 1-0 away win over El Salvador on Friday.
Fajardo broke the deadlock just before the hour by tapping home at the far post after Michael Murillo's run and cross from the right side of the penalty area.
The result marked Panama's first win of the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers and leaves the Central American side second in Group A, behind Suriname by virtue of having scored fewer goals. El Salvador is third, two points further back.
The top team from each of the three groups will automatically qualify for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The two best-ranked runners-up will advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.
In other CONCACAF qualifiers on Friday, Curacao won 2-0 at home to Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago eased to a 3-0 home win over Bermuda and Guatemala drew 1-1 at Suriname. ■
