Costa Rica reach Gold Cup semi-finals

Alvaro Saborio scored twice to lead Costa Rica to a 5-1 victory over Guadeloupe Saturday and into the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

With the victory in the new state-of-the-art home of the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys, Costa Rica booked a semi-final clash in Chicago with either Mexico or Haiti, who squared off in the remaining quarter-final here later Sunday.

Costa Rica jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first 16 minutes, with a goal from Celso Borges in the third minute and Saborio in the 16th.

Armando Alonso played a role in the first two goals, passing the ball to Borges, whose bicycle kick bounced once and landed just inside the goal of keeper Marius Fausta.

“It was a great pass by Alonso,” Borges said. “I didn’t think twice about it. I just let the play guide me.”

Saborio extended the lead when he headed in a pass from Alonso.

Andy Herron’s goal on an assist from Saborio in the 47th minute stretched Costa Rica’s lead to 3-0.

Guadeloupe trimmed the deficit thanks to Alexander Alphonse’s header in the 64th.

But another goal by Saborio in the 71st and Pablo Herrera’s 89th-minute strike sealed the win for Costa Rica.

“We started the game not concentrating,” Guadeloupe coach Roger Salnot.

“We were out of sorts. Giving up two goals was a big blow. We couldn’t change the course of the game.”

The 1.15 billion-dollar Cowboys Stadium was hosting its first sports event on Sunday. So far the vaunted facility had played host to concerts by country singer George Strait and the Jonas Brothers in June.