LOS ANGELES: Defending champion Mexico booked their spot in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Sunday by blanking Curacao 2-0 and stretching their tournament win streak to eight straight games.
Mexico finished first in Group C with two wins and a draw for seven points. Jamaica was second with five points and El Salvador finished third with four points.
Jamaica and El Salvador both punched their tickets to the quarterfinals after playing to a 1-1 draw earlier Sunday.
Mexico will next face Honduras on Thursday in Phoenix, Arizona with the winner advancing to the semifinals. Jamaica squares off against tournament surprise Canada in the other quarterfinal on Thursday.
The US, who won Group B, will battle El Salvador on Wednesday while Costa Rica faces Panama.
There was little riding on Sunday night’s match as Curacao had been eliminated before the game when El Salvador tied Jamaica.
Angel Sepulveda and teenager Edson Alvarez scored for Mexico who fielded a team that featured just one player from their 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup squad.
Sepulveda scored halfway through the first half in front of a crowd of 44,000 at the Alamodome Arena. Mexico then held on until 19-year-old Alvarez scored his first international goal in the 91st minute to seal the victory.
Mexico is seeking its eighth Gold Cup title having won previously in 1993, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2015.
Jamaica finished the knockout round with one win and two draws.
Nelson Bonilla opened the scoring in the 15th minute for El Salvador, who avoided a defeat which would have seen them playing Group B’s Martinique in an elimination round tiebreaker.
Bonilla scored on a left footed shot to the far post at the Alamodome arena. It was the first goal given up by the Jamaican defense in the tournament.
Darren Mattocks tied it up in the 64th minute for the Reggae Boyz with a perfectly-placed low, hard shot that beat El Salvador goalkeeper Derby Carrillo. It was Mattocks’ fifth goal in six Gold Cup contests.
El Salvador returns to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 as they failed to advance out of the knockout round in 2015.
Elsewhere, the US brought in added reinforcements for Wednesday’s quarterfinal match. The Americans are one of the pre-tournament favorites and they hope to take advantage of reigning champs Mexico fielding an inexperienced B squad.
US coach Bruce Arena called up forward Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, midfielders Michael Bradley and Darlington Nagbe, and goalie Tim Howard.
Mexico breezes past Curacao into Gold Cup quarterfinals
Mexico breezes past Curacao into Gold Cup quarterfinals
Lola Yamaha ABT look for pace and points under the lights in Jeddah
- After missing points in Miami, team hope for better showing
- Working hard, say drivers Zane Maloney and Lucas di Grassi
JEDDAH: Lola Yamaha ABT are returning to race under the lights of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where they are hoping to add to their points tally for season 12 of the Formula E World Championship this Friday and Saturday.
Situated alongside the Red Sea, the 19-turn, 3-km track features a long start and finish straight, technical chicanes and sweeping turns. The Saudi Arabian doubleheader will once again be at night.
And also host the first pit-boost race of season 12 where very driver must complete a 30-second, 600-kilowatt boost in the pitlane, giving an extra 10 percent of energy.
Last time in Miami, the team showed good pace throughout the weekend where they narrowly missed out on points, with Zane Maloney finishing 11th and Lucas di Grassi 13th, but they are hopeful for Jeddah.
“After a generally positive race in Miami, where we were much more competitive, I’m looking forward to taking to the track again in Jeddah,” di Grassi said.
“Racing at night always presents different challenges, with changes in temperature and lighting.
“With not much time between these races, we’ve been putting in the hours in the sim (simulator) to ensure we are as prepared as possible to maximize on the improvements seen last time out.”
Maloney said: “Although we narrowly missed out on points in Miami, it was a positive weekend for the team with good pace that shows we are moving in the right direction.
“Jeddah is a fast, technical circuit, which will test the team in different ways, particularly with the addition of the first pit boost of the season. However, we’ve been working hard in the short race gap and I’m confident we can be in the mix to score points this weekend.”
“We saw positive steps forward with organization and processes behind the scenes in Miami and this showed with good race pace which we are hoping to translate to points here in Jeddah,” said Mark Preston, team principal of Lola Yamaha ABT.
