Saturday 25 March 2017 13:36, UK
Mexico striker Javier Hernandez scored a record-equalling 46th international goal to give his country a 2-0 win over Costa Rica in a World Cup Qualifier on Friday.
'Chicharito' struck in the seventh minute at the Azteca with a deft chip over goalkeeper Keylor Navas to equal the Mexican record set by former striker Jared Borgetti in 2008.
Defender Nestor Araujo then increased Mexico's lead on the stroke of half-time when he headed in a corner.
The victory lifted Mexico over Costa Rica into top place in the fifth and final phase of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 finals in Russia with seven points from three matches.
Costa Rica are second with six points and Panama third with four - after their 1-0 defeat away to Trinidad and Tobago - in the three automatic qualifying berths.
The team finishing in fourth place when the matches in the six-nation group are completed plays off over two legs against an Asian side for one more place at the finals.
Meanwhile, Clint Dempsey made a fairytale return to international duty with a hat-trick as the United States reignited their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of Honduras on Friday.
Dempsey, playing his first international since recovering from a heart problem that forced a six-month layoff, scored goals in each half as the Americans romped to a crucial victory at San Jose's Avaya Stadium.
"It was all about the team," Dempsey said afterwards. "We came out and played well. We started on the front foot and took the game to our opponents and when we got chances we put them in the back of the net."
The US had suffered back-to-back defeats in their opening two games of CONCACAF's final qualifying round in November, losses that led to the sacking of Jurgen Klinsmann and the reappointment of veteran coach Bruce Arena.
Arena had warned his players that nothing less than three points would do against the Hondurans and the Americans did not disappoint, producing a dominant display against the Central Americans.
Though Dempsey grabbed the headlines with his hat-trick, Borussia Dortmund teenager Christian Pulisic was the heartbeat of a scintillating US performance, scoring one goal and creating three others during the rout.
