CONCACAF Gold Cup Wrap: Panama, Mexico secure important wins

Panama made it two wins from two matches at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 1-0 victory over Martinique on Thursday.

Julio Dely Valdes’ side certainly did not have it all their own way against the tiny Caribbean nation, and they needed an 85th-minute penalty from Gabriel Torres to secure the victory.

The result at CenturyLink Field in Seattle was enough to fire Panama to the top of Gold Cup Group A by three points from Mexico, who defeated Canada 2-0 in the day’s other match.

Stung by their first-up loss to Panama, the Mexicans needed a response and they took the lead three minutes before the interval in Seattle thanks to a Raul Jimenez strike.

A penalty from Guadalajara midfielder Marco Fabian just before the hour-mark was enough to seal the win for Mexico, meaning Jose Manuel de la Torre’s side need only a draw from their final game against Martinique to qualify for the next round.