Second-half goals from Aldo de Nigris and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez lifted Mexico to a 2-1 victory over Guatemala and into the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday.
Second-half substitute de Nigris grabbed an equalizer for defending champions Mexico in the 48th minute after Carlos Ruiz’s fifth-minute strike put Guatemala ahead.
Hernandez scored the match-winner in the 65th minute as Mexico advanced to a semi-final clash against Honduras, who won 4-2 on penalties against Costa Rica after they played out a 1-1 draw after extra time.
Photo: AFP
Honduras advanced in the first game of a doubleheader at New Meadowlands Stadium that drew a largely pro-Mexican sellout crowd of 78,807.
Mexico and Honduras will play on Wednesday in Houston.
“Our team is very strong at the core,” coach Jose Manuel de la Torre said. “They know they should win versus any adversity. We knew it was a difficult match and a difficult opponent. The early goal was because the field was a little complicated and heavy, but we knew that we would come back and we did.”
Photo: Reuters
Mexico stayed on course for a title repeat despite a squad depleted when the national federation withdrew five players who tested positive for banned clenbuterol at a pre-tournament training camp in May.
Guatemala came out focused on pulling off an upset and Ruiz’s quick strike shocked the crowd.
Elias Enoc Vasquez’s long ball started the move. After Mexican defender Hector Moreno failed to clear the ball, Guatemalan captain Ruiz floated it over Mexico goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera.
Photo: AFP
Mexico had not previously trailed in the tournament.
Ruiz came close again in the 73rd minute, with Talavera saving his 25-yard shot to keep Mexico ahead.
Mexico, whose 14 first-round goals were seven more than any other team in group play, made one substitution at halftime as de Nigris replaced Israel Castro and made an immediate impact.
Hernandez scored the winner after a pass from Pablo Edson Barrera as Mexico enjoyed the bulk of the scoring chances in the second period.
“This time it was different than the other games when we scored first,” said Hernandez, the Manchester United star who leads the scoring table with six goals. “We went in and worked hard in the second half to get chances.”
Guatemala coach Ever Hugo Almeida said he was proud of his team.
“I think we have to be sincere, we’re not at the same level as the national team of Mexico,” Almeida said.
In the night’s opening match, Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares saved a penalty for the second time in as many matches as Honduras and Costa Rica ended extra time level at 1-1.
Costa Rica’s Celso Borges and Alvaro Saborio both hit the crossbar in the penalty shootout.
Jerry Bengtson had given Honduras the lead in the 49th minute, with Dennis Marshall equalizing in the 56th.
Valladares made sure the match stayed level in the 76th minute with a diving stop of Saborio’s penalty attempt.
“I’ve felt the emotions of scoring a goal for my country, but you can’t compare it to stopping a PK [penalty kick],” Valladares said. “I’ve lived [stopping PKs] more, and I’ve felt it more.”
Carlo Costly, Victor Bernardez, Wilson Palacios and Bengtson all converted in the penalty shootout for Honduras.
Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell converted in the shootout for Costa Rica.
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia yesterday advanced to the women’s doubles final at the Australian Open after defeating New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 in their semi-final. Hsieh has won nine Grand Slam doubles titles and has a shot at a 10th tomorrow, when the Latvian-Taiwanese duo are to play Taylor Townsend of the US and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the championship match at the A$96.5 million (US$61 million) outdoor hard court tournament at Melbourne Park. Townsend and Siniakova eliminated Russian pair Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva 6-7
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Things are somewhat out of control at the Australian Open this year, and that has only a little to do with the results on the courts. Yes, there were some upsets, including Madison Keys eliminating No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday. It also was the first time since 1990 that three teenagers beat top-10 men’s seeds at a Grand Slam tennis tournament. The loser of one of those matches, Daniil Medvedev, got fined US$76,000 for behaving badly. Last year’s women’s singles runner-up exited in the first round. However, the real fuss is happening elsewhere. The rowdy fans, for one
The CTBC Brothers from Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) on Friday announced they reached an agreement with the team’s shortstop Chiang Kun-yu (江坤宇) to extend his contract by 10 years in a deal that could worth up to NT $147.88 million (US$4.5 million). Including a NT$10 million incentive bonus, the 24-year- old’s new contract stipulates that his monthly salary will be NT$660,000 starting this year, increasing to NT$1.2 million from the fifth year of the deal. Chiang’s new agreement also comes with a caveat in the form of a “player option” where he would have the choice to become a free
RSS