Mexico settles for 0-0 tie with Guatemala in CONCACAF Gold Cup match
Mexico and Guatemala players get into a scuffle during the second half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup match. The teams tied, 0-0.
Mexico dominated play but couldn’t penetrate the Guatemala defense, and the teams finished in a 0-0 tie in a CONCACAF Gold Cup match Sunday night at Glendale, Ariz.
Mexico, one of the Gold Cup favorites, was frustrated by a series of near misses in front of a sellout crowd of 62,910. Almost all of the fans were decked out in the red, white or green colors of Mexico.
The crowd booed heartily when the game came to an end, while the tiny contingent of Guatemala fans cheered as if it was a victory.
Mexico is 1-0-1 in Group C competition, Guatemala 0-1-1. Mexico plays Trinidad and Tobago (2-0) on Wednesday night in Charlotte, N.C. Guatemala faces Cuba (0-2).
Nearly all of the game was played in Mexico’s offensive end of the field. Giovani Dos Santos’ shot that bounced off the crossbar exemplified the team’s woes.
The fans had shouted “Gio! Gio!” before Coach Miguel Herrera finally sent Dos Santos into the game in the 82nd minute.
Five minutes later, Dos Santos slammed a shot from in front of the net just outside the penalty area but it ricocheted off the crossbar.
It was one of a handful of near misses for Mexico, which finished with four shots on goal. Guatemala had no shots on goal and really only one opportunity that came close.
Mexico couldn’t score even with a man advantage when Jose Contreras drew a red card, for his second yellow, in the 77th minute.
Guatemala slowed the game even more in the four minutes of extra time.
When fans thought Mexico’s Carlos Vela had been fouled late in the game for what would have been a penalty kick, and none was called, many tossed their hats from the upper deck of University of Phoenix Stadium in protest.
Trinidad and Tobago 2, Cuba 0: Sheldon Bateau and Andre Boucaud scored goals for Trinidad and Tobago in a Group C match, also in Glendale.
Bateau put in a rebound in the 17th minute and Boucaud’s volley came after a failed clearance by Cuba in the 42nd minute.
Trinidad and Tobago assured itself of a place in the quarterfinals; the top two teams from each of the three groups advance along with the top two third-place teams overall.
Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Jan Michael left the match with a hamstring injury just before halftime, taken off the field on a stretcher. He was replaced by Marvin Phillip, who was hardly tested.
Cuba assistant coach Walter Benitez said midfielder Arael Arguellez defected ahead of Sunday’s match. Forward Keilen Garcia left the team before it opened the Gold Cup in Chicago on Thursday.
