Stamatopolous backstops Canada to goalless draw with El Salvador
Kyriakos Stamatopoulos made six saves to help Canada tie El Salvador 0-0 on Wednesday night in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Stamatopoulos started in place of Canada's No. 1 goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who will miss the tournament because of his Bulgarian club commitments.
Both teams had their best scoring chances of the Group B match in the first half.
Canada's Cyle Larin sailed an open-net shot in the 35th minute. Larin ran past the defense for a loose ball, juked goalkeeper Derby Carrillo, but his shot went high and wide. In the 43rd, Tosaint Ricketts beat two defenders during a breakaway but his shot went harmlessly wide.
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Right before halftime, El Salvador's Richard Menjivar beat three defenders with nifty footwork to get next to the near post. But his centering pass was cleared away. Moments later, Stamatopoulos misplayed a punch-out, but he recovered to block Irvin Herrera's close-range shot.
