MIAMI -- Abel Aguilar and Hector Hurtado scored in a 3-minute span in the second half, giving Colombia to a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in a CONCACAF Gold Cup first-round match Tuesday night.
Colombia broke through in the 75th minute when Aguilar took a 10-yard shot from the right wing on Jaime Castrillon's crossing header. Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Brent Rahim stood near the far post, but he couldn't stop the shot.Hurtado added an insurance goal in the 78th minute. Martin Arzuaga centered a pass to an open Hurtado, who raced into the left wing of the penalty area and scored inside the right post.
Colombia, which lost its first two tournament games, needed a victory to stay in contention for a quarterfinal berth as the third-place finisher in Group A. Honduras beat Panama 1-0 to take first place in the group, while Panama finished second.
Colombia gained a berth in the quarterfinals, when Canada defeated Cuba 2-1 in a Group B match late Tuesday. Canada needed to win by three goals to at least move into a tie with Colombia for one of the two quarterfinal spots that go the third-place teams.
Trinidad and Tobago finished fourth in the group with a 0-2-1 record and two points.
