Gerba fires Canada into quarterfinals - July 8,2009

Ali Gerba’s 15th international tally was enough to guarantee Canada’s progress into the quarterfinals of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The 27-year-old scored the only goal of a cagey affair against El Salvador in Columbus, Tuesday, as Canada earned a second consecutive 1-0 win at the competition. They beat favorites Costa Rica on July 3.

Gerba’s strike came just after the half-hour mark when captain Paul Staleri’s cross from the right flank was misdirected by a defender into the path of Patrice Bernier. The Nordsjaelland winger’s desperate stab connected with the ball, although the effort still required Gerba’s finish to evade sprawling goalkeeper Miguel Angel Montes.

“From the beginning we maintained a good shape,” remarked Man of the Match Atiba Hutchinson. “We moved our feet well and we kept them in front of us, which was our main objective. We wanted to push up and stay tight on the ball. We had a lot of support all around us. I thought it was a great performance defensively.”

With six points from two matches, Canada lead Group A ahead of Friday’s showdown with Costa Rica in Miami. In Tuesday’s other match, the Ticos edged Jamaica 1-0 on a 64th minute goal by Celso Borges.

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