Panama, the ‘darlings of North America’, have reached the final of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Defending champions defeated the United States in penalty kicks.
Panama faced off against the United States in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, USA, on Wednesday (June 13). The match was tied 1-1 in extra time before the Ticos prevailed 5-4 on penalties.
The first 90 minutes of the match were a back-and-forth affair. Took the lead in overtime. Ivan Andersson scored in the first four minutes of extra time. But in the first 15 minutes of extra time, Jesús Pereira equalized. The score remained 1-1 at the end of regulation, sending the match into penalty kicks.
The U.S. won the penalty shootout. After the U.S. first kicker, Pereira, missed, both the first and second kickers were successful to take the lead. However, the third kicker, Christian Martinez, missed and it was back to square one. At 4-4, USA’s No. 6 kicker Christian Roldan missed and Panama’s No. 6 kicker Adalberto Carrasquilla converted to tie the game.
With the win, Panama remained undefeated in the tournament and advanced to the final. They defeated Costa Rica 2-1 and Martinique 2-1 in group play before drawing 2-2 with El Salvador to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, they thrashed Qatar 4-0. In the semifinals, they defeated the United States on penalties to reach the final.
The home team, a heavy favorite, fell victim to the Panama surge and missed the chance to win back-to-back titles. They tried to make it back-to-back titles in 2021 but were unsuccessful. They had hoped to top the tournament and tie Mexico for the most wins, but fell short.
In the other semifinal on the same day, Mexico swept aside Jamaica. Mexico took the lead in the second minute of the first half on a goal by Henry Martin. Luis Chavez added a goal in the 30th minute, and Roberto Alvarado scored in the 48th minute to seal the 3-0 victory.
Panama and Mexico will play the final at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. Panama will be looking to win their first title since finishing as runners-up in 2013. Mexico, the most decorated Gold Cup team to date, will be looking for its ninth podium finish. 토토사이트주소
Meanwhile, only three nations have won the Gold Cup since its inception in 1991 through the 16th edition in 2021. Mexico has won eight times, the United States seven times, and Canada once. If Panama wins the tournament, it will become the fourth country to do so.