Guatemala 3-1 Suriname: Own Goal in Stoppage Time Sends Suriname to World Cup Playoffs

When Suriname lost 3-1 to Guatemala on November 19, 2025, at Estadio Manuel Felipe Carrera in Guatemala City, no one expected the final whistle to be the beginning of their World Cup dream. But thanks to a bizarre own goal in the 90'+3 minute — and a twist of goal-difference math — Suriname walked off the pitch as losers… and still qualified for the FIFA Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament. The CONCACAF third-round qualifier, played under a cool night sky in Central America, ended with Nicolás Samayoa accidentally steering Sheraldo Becker’s cross into his own net. It was the kind of moment that makes football cruel, beautiful, and utterly unpredictable.

How Suriname Lost the Match — and Won the Tournament

Guatemala, playing for pride after already being mathematically eliminated, came out sharp. Darwin Lom opened the scoring in the 49th minute with a clinical finish after a sharp counter. By the 57th, Olger Escobar doubled the lead, stealing the ball midfield and finishing with composure after a perfect cross from Rudy Munoz. Then came Óscar Santis in the 65th, racing clear to slot home left-footed and make it 3-0. Suriname, who entered the match unbeaten in Group A, looked shell-shocked. They’d drawn their first three games, then won two, but had never led in a single match. Their path to the playoffs had always been narrow — and it was about to get narrower.

But football doesn’t care about logic. With four minutes of stoppage time added, Suriname threw everything forward. Sheraldo Becker, their most dangerous attacker, floated a cross into the box. Nicolás Samayoa, the Guatemala defender, tried to clear — and instead, the ball deflected off his knee and into the net. The stadium fell silent. The Suriname bench erupted. The CONCACAF official report confirmed it: “A cross into the box from Suriname’s Sheraldo Becker led to a Nicolás Samayoa own goal, placing the Caribbean side back into the FIFA Play-Off Tournament on goal difference.”

The Math That Saved Suriname

Here’s the thing: Suriname didn’t win the match. They didn’t even tie. They lost — and yet, they advanced. Why? Because Honduras, their closest rival, lost 2-0 to Panama on the same night. Both teams finished with 9 points. Both had a +3 goal difference. But here’s the kicker: Suriname scored nine goals. Honduras scored five. That’s it. That’s the difference.

“Even on points with Suriname, even on goal differential with a plus three, but Suriname scored more goals with nine, as Honduras scored five,” wrote Bad Dawg Sports. “A plus four advantage for the Dutch country of South America.”

It’s a quirk of CONCACAF’s tiebreaker rules — goals scored trump goal difference when points and goal difference are level. Suriname had scored nine goals in six games. Honduras? Five. That’s less than one per game. Suriname had drawn 3-3 with Panama, lost 1-0 to Canada, and scraped draws against El Salvador and Guatemala. They never blew anyone out. But they never got blown out either. And in the end, that consistency — plus a single, heartbreaking own goal — was enough.

What This Means for Suriname’s World Cup Dream

Now, Suriname will face Bolivia in the intercontinental playoff, scheduled for March 2026. The winner advances to play Iraq for one of the final two spots in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. If Suriname wins both matches, they’ll become the first team from the Caribbean Netherlands to ever qualify for the World Cup.

That’s not hyperbole. Suriname’s national team has never made it past the qualifiers. They’ve had talent — players like Becker, who plays in the Dutch Eredivisie — but never the luck. This match didn’t just change their season. It changed their legacy. For a nation of just 600,000 people, this is bigger than football. It’s identity.

Guatemala’s Role: The Unintentional Heroes

Guatemala didn’t want to be the villain. Their coach, Julio César Cáceres, had already said before the match: “We’re playing for our pride, not their dreams.” And yet, by scoring three goals, they gave Suriname the exact scenario they needed. If Guatemala had drawn 1-1, Suriname would’ve been eliminated. If they’d lost 2-1, Suriname would’ve been eliminated. But they won 3-1 — and that’s the only result that, combined with Honduras’ loss, kept Suriname alive.

It’s a cruel irony: Guatemala’s victory was the only thing that saved their opponent. They played spoiler — until they accidentally became saviors.

What’s Next for Both Teams

For Suriname, the focus shifts to preparation. They’ll have three months to regroup, bring in diaspora players from the Netherlands, and figure out how to beat a physical, disciplined Bolivia side. Their coach, Wim Rijsbergen, has been criticized for being too defensive — but now, he’s got a chance to prove his philosophy works.

For Guatemala, the World Cup cycle is over. They finished third with 8 points — their best result since 2018. But they’ll have to rebuild. Key players like Lom and Escobar are young, and the team showed fight. The next cycle begins in 2027, but this match will be remembered not for their win, but for the own goal that changed the course of another nation’s history.

Final Standings — Group A, CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers

• Panama: 6 GP, 3W-3D-0L, +5 GD, 12 pts
• Suriname: 6 GP, 2W-3D-1L, +3 GD, 9 pts (9 goals scored)
• Guatemala: 6 GP, 2W-2D-2L, +1 GD, 8 pts
• El Salvador: 6 GP, 1W-0D-5L, -9 GD, 3 pts

Suriname’s 9 goals were the difference. Honduras, who finished fourth in points, had 9 points too — but only 5 goals. That’s why the own goal mattered so much. It wasn’t just a goal. It was the final tally that tipped the scales.