“The Dominican Republic is going to the Olympics!” In a historic first, the Dominican Republic U20 men’s football team made the cut for the 2024 Paris Olympics after defeating Guatemala 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw on Friday, 1 July 2022 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The teams were playing the semifinals of the 2022 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship.
The win delivered the country’s first ever football Olympic berth. The country will also be competing for the first time in a football World Cup at any age level at next year’s FIFA Men’s Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
Concacaf press release highlights that the win continues a remarkable run for the Dominican Republic that had qualified for the Championship via last November’s CMU20 Qualifiers and has now eliminated three sides on the way to a U20 World Cup spot, a trip to Paris in 2024 and a place in the CMU20 Final on Sunday, 3 July 2022.
In the Guatemala vs DR game description Concacaf reports: “It was a rocky start, though, for the Dominican Republic, as Guatemala grabbed a 2-0 lead at the half-hour mark after goals in the 23’ and 29’.
“The Chapines broke the deadlock through Arquimides Ordonez, who scored his fifth goal of the tournament by smacking in a header off a cross from the right for a 1-0 Guatemala lead.
“Ordonez was in the mix again on the second goal six minutes later when his poked effort took a deflection off the leg of Dominican Republic DF Sebastian Manon and rolled into goal, giving Guatemala a 2-0 advantage.
“The lead held until halftime, but things took a turn in the second stanza, as the Dominican Republic stormed back with two goals in just three minutes.
“Guillermo De Pena made it 2-1 in the 62’ with a powerful right-footed finish into the top left corner of net, before Edison Azcona’s bouncing shot beat Guatemala GK Jose Aguirre in the 64’ to even things at 2-2.”
The teams went to extra time, but neither could find the finishing touch for a third goal, meaning a penalty shootout was needed to determine who would claim the Olympic ticket.
The penalty shootout was decided with the Dominican Republic proving the better of the two, when GK Xavier Valdez made a key save and Adhonys Maria converted the winning kick for a 4-2 penalty shootout win and a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Concacaf
2 July 2022