Miami (AFP) – Dhoraso Klas scored in the 81st minute as Suriname stunned El Salvador 2-1 away on Monday in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match marred by alleged racist chanting. Suriname, who have never qualified for the World Cup, toppled El Salvador from the Group A lead in the final round of CONCACAF (North American) qualifying. It was Suriname’s first victory over the Salvadorans since 1968.
Afterwards, head coach Stanley Menzo and captain Shaquille Pinas hit out at some home fans over racist chanting while his team celebrated their victory. “You have to ask why your fans are shouting to my players, ‘negro,'” Menzo said to reporters. Pinas suggested that the same thing happened in a previous World Cup qualifier, again in San Salvador, in June, but said that the team had chosen not to speak out then. “If you say negro, monkey, this kind of things, I think that’s not fun,” said Pinas.
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Suriname, who opened with a goalless home draw against Panama, snapped an eight-match winless streak against El Salvador and moved to four points with the hosts on three. In the night’s other Group A match, hosts Panama and Guatemala played out a 1-1 draw, leaving both winless after two out of six group matches. Suriname’s only prior victory over El Salvador came in December 1968 in a qualifying match for the 1970 Mexico World Cup.
Suriname grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute on Monday with a header by Radinio Balker, a Dutch-born defender playing for England’s Huddersfield Town. Brayan Gil looked to have netted an equalizer for El Salvador in the 29th minute, but that was overturned after a video review. The Salvadorans finally made it 1-1 through Suriname defender Anfernee Dijksteel’s own goal. But Klas fired in a right-footed shot from the right side to win the game.
CONCACAF final round qualifying was changed this year because regional powers Mexico, Canada, and the United States will serve as next year’s World Cup co-hosts. The last 12 teams were drawn into three groups of four, with group winners from round-robin matches through to November advancing to the World Cup and two second-place teams advancing to playoffs with nations from other confederations.
At Panama City, Guatemala grabbed the lead in the 35th minute on a right-footed blast by Oscar Santis from the heart of the box. Carlos Harvey, however, netted the equalizer for Panama in the 37th minute with a header off an Eric Davis assist. Panama stretched an unbeaten streak against Guatemala to 15 matches in all competitions since 2005, with a fourth draw to go alongside 11 triumphs.
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