Marco Pappa scored one goal and set up another as Guatemala beat Grenada 4-0 on Monday to reach its first Gold Cup quarterfinals since 2007.
''More than anything, this was a psychological and mental game,'' Guatemala coach Ever Hugo Almeida said. ''We had to score a specific number of goals. We needed three goals, but we had to take it goal by goal. We were able to manage the game and get the result we wanted.''
Jose Del Aguila, Carlos Ruiz and Carlos Gallardo also scored for Guatemala, which finished finish third in Group B after Jamaica beat Honduras 1-0 later Monday. Guatemala has a better goal difference than Group A's third-place finisher, El Salvador, which also had four points.
The top two teams in each group, and the two best third-place teams, advance to quarterfinals.
''Now, we have to think about the next match,'' the Pappa said.
Ricardo Jerez made four saves for Guatemala, including a diving stop on a deflected shot by Shannon Phillips.
Guatemala, ranked No. 124 in the world, won't know where it will play until Wednesday, when Group C finishes. Group C's results also will determine whether El Salvador advances.
Guatemala lost 3-0 to Canada in its previous appearance in the Gold Cup quarterfinals.
Grenada finished last in Group B, losing all three of its games by a combined score of 15-1. It has been outscored 25-1 in two Gold Cup competitions.
''We realistically felt we could get third place and get into the quarterfinal through the back door,'' Grenada coach Mike Adams said. ''But the intensity the game is played at this level came as a big surprise to us. It's a big step up from the Caribbean Cup. It was a case of not being able to sustain it.''
The results of Canada-Panama and the United States-Guadaloupe matches will determine whether Guatemala will play Saturday at the New Meadowlands Stadium or Sunday at RFK Stadium in Washington.
