OT, Canada! Mexico Eliminated
If not quite heard ‘round the world, it is a shot most definitely resonating today from Yucatan to Newfoundland.
Canada, ranked 85th in world soccer, with a team long on resilience and short on most everything else, knocked Mexico out of the Gold Cup on Sunday afternoon at Qualcomm Stadium, 2-1, after a stunning 92nd-minute sudden-death goal by Richard Hastings.
It was a shot that seemed to materialize out of nowhere--a corner kick taken by Mexico, a routine clearance by the Canadian back line, one long ball into open space by Martin Nash and, suddenly, Hastings was in the clear, approaching the left edge of Mexico’s penalty area.
From there, a blur: Hastings, in full stride, knocked the ball hard and high toward the goal--an act in itself that seemed to startle the Mexican defense, given the numbing lack of any Canadian attacking initiative all afternoon--and before goalkeeper Oscar Perez could scarcely react, the ball found the far upper corner of the net.
“Unbelievable,” was Hastings’ apt description for it. Gold Cup organizers might have used more colorful language. With the United States losing to Colombia on Saturday and now Mexico, the three-time defending tournament champion, bowing out in the quarterfinals, the sound of turnstiles screeching to a halt in the distance was deafening.
How about this for a Gold Cup final four?
Peru versus Colombia in one semifinal Wednesday night in San Diego.
Trinidad and Tobago, a 2-1 overtime winner over Costa Rica on Sunday, versus Canada on Thursday night at the Coliseum.
Winners will play for the championship Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum.
Many good seats still available.
“CONCACAF is not just Mexico and the United States,” Canada Coach Holger Osieck said, and now Southern California is going to spend a week sampling some of the alternatives.
Canada, missing three starting midfielders, entered this tournament ranked 11th out of the 12 teams entered. Only Honduras, at No. 100 in the FIFA ratings, had a lower world ranking than Canada.
The Canadians had defeated Mexico only twice in 20 previous meetings, taking a 2-13-5 record into Sunday’s match, having been outscored, 51-12, in those games. They had not qualified for a World Cup since 1986--going 0-3 there--and had not reached the quarterfinals of a major international tournament since the 1984 Olympics.
And they only reached these quarterfinals by way of a coin flip, having concluded Group D play tied in the standings and in goals scored with South Korea. Had South Korea called tails instead of heads, Canada is out of the tournament after two games--where most had expected it would be when the Gold Cup began.
Before Sunday, Canada hadn’t actually won a game in this tournament. They rallied to tie Costa Rica, 2-2, last Sunday before playing South Korea to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday. Having gone 90 minutes without a goal against the Koreans, Canada extended its scoreless streak another 82 minutes against Mexico--and was eight minutes from elimination before Carlo Corazzin beat Perez with a flying header.
Ramon Ramirez had given Mexico a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute, and with Canada refusing to break out of its circle-the-wagons posture, that goal seemed likely to stand.
But Corazzin’s header made it 1-1, and from there, the Canadians forced overtime--certain, it appeared, to play for penalty kicks.
But two minutes into the first extra period, Canada cleared a corner kick, Nash, a 62nd-minute substitute, gathered the ball and spotted Hastings breaking left while the Mexican defense retreated down the center of the field.
“I just ran,” Hastings said, “and there was Martin Nashy, putting a great ball into my path. I was just hoping for a decent touch. Fortunately I had one.”
Hastings said he couldn’t remember what happened after that.
“I can only remember the ball hitting the back of the net,” he said, beaming. “Not much after that.”
Both of Sunday’s quarterfinals ended in similar fashion: With a sudden-death, goal. Trinidad’s Mickey Trotman broke a 1-1 tie with Costa Rica in the 101st minute--and then delivered one of the most succinct goal celebrations ever seen.
As soon as he struck the ball, Trotman sprinted straight toward the tunnel, looking back only to gesture to his teammates to follow his lead.
“I knew it was a victory,” Trotman explained, “so, you know, let’s go home.”
Or to the Gold Cup semifinals, which had previously been home to Mexico. Suddenly, that spot in the final four is occupied instead by Canada, Trinidad’s unlikely next opponent.
Bertille St. Clair, the Trinidad coach, was asked if he was disappointed.
He paused and then smiled.
“Not really.”
SEMIFINALS
Wednesday at San Diego
Peru vs. Colombia, 8 p.m.
Thursday at Coliseum
Trinidad and Tobago vs. Canada, 8 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday at Coliseum
Semifinal winners, noon
