SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- Bermuda crashed to their first defeat in the second round of the World Cup qualifying stage yesterday, and lost the top spot in the process as El Salvador romped to the biggest win in the group before a near capacity crowd at the Estadio Cuscatlan.

"This was the team I expected to see in Bermuda,'' quipped Bermuda coach Gary Darrell as he acknowledged the difference in class between the two teams.

The result, combined with Canada's 1-0 home win over Jamaica yesterday gives the group a new look as Bermuda slipped from first to third and El Salvador moved two spots in the other direction, from last place to second.

El Salvador were clearly the better team as a television audience in Bermuda would have seen. They strung passes together with fluency and constantly got behind the Bermuda defence, with midfield schemer Mauricio Cienfuegos a key figure behind most of their raids as the bulk of the chances fell to Jorge Gonzalez and Julio Lozano.

"They were always able to find space, either by coming later into areas or by coming in amongst our defence and checking off,'' Darrell said.

"I would say this is the best team of this style we've played since I've been coach. That second goal so close to half-time really hurt us, and then there was the third one very early in the second half.'' El Salvador let Bermuda know of their intentions right from the opening whistle. The only two corners by Bermuda in the first half came in the 12th minute when Kyle Lightbourne forced one on the right. It was from Voorhees Astwood's inswinging corner that the ball was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Raul Garcia for a second corner at the other end, which Paul Cann wasted.

Shawn Goater, restored to the striker's role, tried to lob a header over the 'keeper who was off his line in the 19th minute and then Lightbourne went close with a long-range shot.

Otherwise most of the attacking was done by the home team who were rewarded with the go-ahead goal in the 22 minutes when Lozano's volley beat Dwayne Adams from close range following a move down the left side.

Only a brilliant piece of goalkeeping by Bermuda's 19-year-old 'keeper three minutes later prevented the Salvadoreans from going even further ahead, as he went full stretch to his right to keep out a curling free kick from Lozano.

El Salvador missed a host of chances as Jose Rivera blasted well wide of the near post in the 35th minute. They did find the net a second time before the break though when Bermuda were down to 10 men.

Midfielder Elliott Jennings was off receiving treatment for a groin injury when Cienfuegos provided a good cross from the right in the 45th minute for Gonzalez -- at 34 his team's oldest player -- to volley into the far corner, as the ball appeared to take a deflection.

Bermuda lifted their game in the second half but two early goals after the restart put paid to any hopes they may have had of a fightback.

Goal number three came in the 52nd minute when Gonzalez provided the cross from the left for 24-year-old Cienfuegos to head strongly past Adams.

Cienfuegos missed a sitter from only six yards in the 55th minute but a minute later the score was to read 4-0 anyway when Jose Rivera's shot from the edge of the box got past Adams via a Leroy Stevens deflection before going in off the far post.

"I'm very happy with what my team did,'' said El Salvador coach Anibal Ruiz afterward through an interpreter. "We had a different attitude on the field this time.

"We believe Bermuda is a good team anyway. Last time we stayed back but today we went forward. We want to increase that in our next matches.'' El Salvador never let up even after taking a 4-0 lead as Oscar Ulloa turned and shot just over the bar from 20 yards. The Central Americans had their four outfield substitutes warming up midway through the second half when Albert Smith brought down Cienfuegos from behind to get himself booked by Honduran referee Jose Luis Fuentes.

El Salvador were denied a fifth goal by the outstanding Adams in the 77th minute as he made a one-hand save to steer a chip from Gonzalez around the far post.

Goater avoided the shut-out three minutes later when he scored his fifth World Cup goal with a free header from six yards after Albert Smith's corner on the right.

Sub Sammy Swan almost made the scoreline even more respectable in the closing minutes but his shot finished in the side netting after a pass from the right by Goater found him free at the far post.

"I think we were just outclassed,'' added Darrell. "It wasn't a case of us not trying. On the day they were the better team. Had they lost today they could have kissed the competition goodbye. This was more like the El Salvador I expected to see initially.'' Three other players were booked in the match, Bermuda's Voorhees Astwood for a foul in the first half and the El Salvador pair of Leonel Batres and Rivera.

El Salvador: R.Garcia; W.Osorio, G.Trigueros, L.Batres, J.Abrego, J.Gonzalez, C.Borga, J.Rivera, J.Lozano, O.Ulloa (S.Coreas, 80 mins), M.Cienfuegos.

Bermuda: D.Adams; M.Wade, L.Stevens, N.Paynter, K.Jennings, V.Astwood; E.Jennings (D.Bascome, 59 mins), A.Smith, P.Cann; S.Goater, K.Lightbourne (S.Swan, 76 mins).

Referee: Jose Luis Fuentes (Honduras).

Linesmen: Francisco Alvarenga, Nelson Rutilio Calix (Honduras).

Men of the match: Mauricio Cienfuegos (El Salvador); Dwayne Adams (Bermuda).

SHAWN GOATER -- Consolation header.

PAIN IN THE NECK -- El Salvador's Jorge Gonzalez was a constant menace to the Bermuda defence and even scored one of the goals yesterday.