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Overcoming Distractions, Mexico Wins Gold Cup Final
JULY 26, 2015

PHILADELPHIA — The troubled Gold Cup came to a celebratory end for Mexico on Sunday night with a 3-1 victory against Jamaica as the regional tournament sought to shift its focus from scandal to soccer.

Midfielder Andrés Guardado scored on a superb volley in the 30th minute, and then forward Jesús Corona stole the ball and put it through the legs of a Jamaican defender from atop the penalty area in the 46th minute. Forward Oribe Peralta pounced on a defensive mistake in the 60th minute, putting Mexico up by 3-0 before Jamaica finally avoided a shutout in the 78th minute on a goal by Darren Mattocks.

Mexico’s victory secured its seventh title at the Gold Cup, the signature tournament of the North American, Central American and Caribbean region, and it buoyed a team that had often played unimpressively, needing the favor of questionable refereeing decisions to reach the final.

Mexico’s victory had extra relish as it came on the turf of its chief rival, the United States, which finished a dismal fourth.


Sunday’s outcome set up a playoff between Mexico and the United States, the 2013 Gold Cup champion, on Oct. 9 for the right to represent Concacaf at the 2017 Confederations Cup, a tuneup for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/sports/soccer/overcoming-distractions-mexico-wins-gold-cup-final.html?ref=soccer