Andres Guardado scored on a penalty kick in the second and final minute of stoppage time in extra time to give Mexico a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals Sunday night. Jaime Penedo made the clinching save for the 6-5 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in the quarterfinals Sunday.
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – All four of Panama’s CONCACAF Gold Cup matches have ended in 1-1 draws.
Panama and Trinidad and Tobago had to settle the game in penalties.
Peltier’s nerve then cracked, Penedo diving to his left to keep out the spot kick and send Panama through to the last four, where it will face Mexico or Costa Rica.
Panama had rarely threatened but was gifted the lead nine minutes before half-time thanks to a defensive mix-up from Trinidad. Jones narrowly missed a header earlier in the match, launching it just over the crossbar in the 9th minute, but he buried his attempt in the second half to tie the match, 1-1.
Perez had a chance in the opening seconds of second half stoppage time, speeding past Bateau to collect a centering pass in the penalty area, but booted his shot wide of the far post. He beat Phillip with a low shot for his 10th career Gold Cup goal. Khaleem Hyland curled a long free kick into the box, and Jones headed it past Penedo.
Both sides struggled, looked increasingly tired in the extra 30 minutes, yet Panama kept the pressure on and would have taken the lead had Phillip not turned Alberto Quintero’s powerful effort over, with Armando Cooper’s effort deflected wide from the resulting corner.
Panama advanced to a third consecutive semi-final, having lost to the United States in 2011 before beating Mexico in 2013, only to fall to the Americans in the final.
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Penedo, the 33-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy netminder who was voted 2005 and 2013 Gold Cup Goalkeeper of the Tournament, made two saves during the shoot-out, the decisive one set up by team-mate Valentin Pimentel’s goal to start the ninth round.
