Sosa, Sanchez lift El Salvador past Venezuela, 2-1

WASHINGTON – Edwin Sanchez and Herbert Sosa scored in the final 10 minutes to rally El Salvador to a 2-1 victory over Venezuela in a friendly on Sunday.

Sanchez scored the winner in the 90th minute to send a partisan Salvadorean crowd into delirium after reaching Sosa's throughball and driving a low finish off goalkeeper Rafael Romo and into the net.

Sosa struck on a free kick just seven minutes earlier, curling a 25-yard effort off the head of Venezuela defender Josef Martinez and past a wrong-footed Romo to tie the score.

It was the first national team goal for both 21-year-old players, who play professionally in El Salvador's first division.

Fernando Aristeguieta scored in the 29th minute for Venezuela in its first action since finishing in fourth place in July's Copa America. It was the 19-year-old Aristeguieta's first national team goal for a side that brought only two players from its 22-man Copa America roster to face a Salvadorean team that brought back 15 players from this June's CONCACAF Gold Cup squad.

Aristeguieta finished a nice give-and-go with 21-year-old Yonathan Del Valle to complete a six-pass combination.

Venezuela continued to dominate the first half against the more experienced Salvadorean team. But after Aristeguieta's goal, El Salvador goalkeeper Juan Jose Gomez twice denied Del Valle before halftime, including one chance where Del Valle elected not to pass to a wide open teammate.

The pace slowed after halftime on a sometimes rainy, sometimes steamy afternoon. But El Salvador gained a foothold, matching Venezuela shot for shot, despite forcing only one save from Romo.

Yet "Los Cuscatlecos" rarely looked dangerous until Sosa's free kick, taken just moments after Aristeguieta was substituted out.