That concludes our coverage of the Gold Cup fixture between Mexico and Canada! We hope you enjoyed it!
Canada and Mexico are both in action again on June 23, when they play Cuba and Martinique respectively.
Canada looked second best from the first minute as Mexico leave Sports Authority Field at Mile High with the three points after a convincing 3-1 victory. It took El Tri some time to break the deadlock through Alvarado, on 40 minutes, but Guardado’s lead-doubling goal nine minutes after the restart seemed to end the match as a contest. Canada showed some late fight with a Cavallini goal with 15 minutes remaining, but a lapse in defence allowed Mexico to re-establish their two-goal lead only two minutes later. Martino’s side were rarely troubled by Canada, whose best chance outside of the goal fell to Davies just before the hour; an opportunity that was not realised as the Bayern Munich winger dragged his shot across the face of goal and wide. It was a valiant effort by Herdman’s side, but Mexico simply had too much quality. They finish the day first with six points, while Canada are in second with three. Martinique are third - level with Canada on points while Cuba round out the quartet without a point - or goal to their name.
90' + 3' FULL-TIME: MEXICO 3-1 CANADA.
90' The fourth official indicates an additional three minutes at the end of the match for stoppages.
88' Mexico are unbeaten in their last nine group stage games in the Gold Cup, since a 1-2 loss to Panama in 2013. They won 7-0 against Cuba on MD1.
86' All the air has been taken out of the match as the two sides are presumably counting down the minutes until full-time. It’s been a tough match for Canada, who haven’t fared too badly against the tournament favourites.
84' Luis Rodriguez has gone off after what appears to be a bout of severe cramp. He’s limping heavily on the sideline, but with Mexico out of substitutions, they’ll have to finish with 10 men should the right-back be unable to continue.
82' Mexico’s Antuna was involved in four of Mexico’s seven goals in their 7-0 win against Cuba on MD1, scoring three and assisting another.
80' Luis Montes takes the free-kick to the far post for Alvarez, but the midfielder is unable to turn his header past Borjan.
M. Kaye
Yellow Card
79' Kaye is booked with 11 minutes remaining after a sloppy foul in midfield which gives Mexico a free-kick outside the penalty area.
U. Antuna
Assist
77' Antuna has been lively on the wing for Mexico - and he gets his reward as his pass for Guardado is the assist!
A. Guardado
Goal
77' MEXICO RE-ESTABLISH A TWO-GOAL LEAD! 3-1! Canada once again go from high to low as Davies gets caught out of possession which allows Antuna to break into the penalty area and display some fancy footwork, before picking out Guardado. The midfielder takes a low strike which goes off the boot of Davies and cannons off the post and into the back of the net!
J. David
Assist
75' Herdman’s substitution pays off as David wins the ball in an attacking area and provides the assist for an easy Cavallini goal!
L. Cavallini
Goal
75' CAVALLINI GETS CANADA BACK IN THE GAME! 2-1! Araujo gets his pocket picked by the pacey David, who then charges into the penalty area, drawing Ochoa off his line. The young winger keeps his head and allows the rushing defenders to take one step too many, before squaring it to Cavallini for the easy finish!
74' OSORIO GOES JUST WIDE! The Toronto FC midfielder charges towards the penalty area and cuts inside, sending his swept right-footed shot just wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. It’s another near miss for Canada!
C. Rodríguez
J. dos Santos
73' Mexico’s final switch comes with 17 minutes of regular time remaining. Dos Santos will be sacrificed for Carlos Rodriguez.
70' Mexico don’t look determined to score as they keep the ball in midfield, switching it from right to left. With a two-goal lead and only 20 minutes remaining, Martino will no doubt be instructing his side to reserve energy and maintain the clean sheet ahead of their third and final group match on Sunday.
L. Montes
R. Alvarado
68' The second Mexico change of the match sees Alvarado replaced by Luis Montes.
67' Kaye delivers a wonderfully incisive ball into the penalty area, but David lets it run too far, positioning himself out of a chance to shoot. In order to try and reclaim the situation, he attempts a nifty backheel pass - though that fails to come off as well as it’s promptly intercepted.
65' The sting has come out of the match a little bit since Mexico’s lead-doubling goal through Guardado. The Canada substitutes have not yet had an impact on the match, as they’ve been on the back foot the entire time.
63' Mexico have won all three of their Gold Cup group stage encounters with Canada, including an 8-0 victory in 1993, Canada’s biggest ever defeat in the competition.
S. Arfield
W. Johnson
61' Herdman chooses to use all three of his changes by the 60-minute mark, as Johnson is withdrawn for Arfield in a midfield switch.
J. Osorio
R. Teibert
60' Canada make a second substitution on the hour, as Teibert is replaced by Osorio.
59' JIMENEZ COMES CLOSE! The Wolves forward beats his marker to a free header in the penalty area, forcing Borjan to palm the ball up into the air and off the crossbar!
J. David
C. Larin
57' Immediately after going behind by two goals, Herdman makes Canada's first change of the match. It's in the attacking third as Larin is replaced by David.
A. Guardado
Goal
54' MEXICO MAKE THEIR CHANCE COUNT AND IT’S 2-0! Henry gives the ball away in front of his penalty area after a sloppy pass forward, which allows Guardado to latch onto it. After shifting his body in order to curl a shot, he bends a firecracker into the top corner with his left foot!
52' DAVIES COMES AGONISINGLY CLOSE TO AN EQUALISER! A great switch from Larin finds Davies inside the penalty area. In alone with Reyes and Araujo in the vicinity, the Bayern Munich winger has a shot towards the far post which looks to skim the post on its way out!
50' Larin holds it up before pushing the ball ahead of Brault-Gulliard. The right wing-back bursts forward in a footrace with Gallardo, but the Mexico defender gets the better of his counterpart as El Tri regain possession.
48' Canada are right back defending in the early stages of the second half. Larin smartly wins a free-kick after a push in the back from Gallardo - which will allow the Canucks to clear their half.
46' Canada get the second half underway from the kick-off!
Mexico will look to continue dominating possession, as they have passed the ball with great precision around the Canada midfield. Though they’ll no doubt look to add to their goal differential, but nothing in the first half has given Martino’s side any concern. Canada will have to chase the deficit and open up in the second half; a strategy that can be supplemented by the introduction of either Hoilett or David.
Mexico thoroughly dominated the half, holding onto just under 75% possession and managing 10 total shots. Canada frustrated the tournament favourites for the majority of the first 45 thanks to some great last-ditch defending by the Canada rearguard. The Mexico goal ultimately came thanks to a bit of luck, as Hutchinson’s poor first touch allowed the attack to continue via Jimenez, before Alvarado’s second effort which beat Borjan. Mexico should be frustrated they aren’t up by more considering some of their opportunities, while Canada will be quietly pleased at the tight score.
45' + 2' HALF-TIME: MEXICO 1-0 CANADA.
45' + 1' JIMENEZ HAS A STRIKE! The Wolves forward barrels into the penalty area as the minute of stoppage comes to a close, but his powerful shot forces one last save out of Borjan, who gets two palms to it to knock it down before collecting it off the ground.
45' The fourth official indicates one additional minute for stoppages.
44' A ball is launched forward by Johnson in the Canada midfield looking for Larin in the penalty area, but Ochoa has been quick off his line this evening as the goalkeeper rushes out to beat the striker to the ball.
42' Antuna gets to the byline once again and fires a cross into the penalty area which is caught immediately by Borjan at the near post.
R. Alvarado
Goal
40' MEXICO TAKE THE LEAD! 1-0 TO EL TRI! The breakthrough finally comes as Hutchinson unintentionally knocks a cross from the right onto the boot of Jimenez, whose attempt at goal is parried by Borjan. The initial save is a good one, but the goalkeeper puts his save right into the path of Alvarado, who smashes it into the net!
38' Dos Santos puts the ball out of play as Cornelius is down on the ground after a clash of heads with Reyes. It’s been a costly half for both sides as the medical staff is on the pitch tending to the injured Canada defender.
A. Guardado
É. Gutiérrez
37' The injury to Gutierrez appears serious in nature as he will be unable to continue. Guardado is introduced to replace him after 37 minutes.
35' Larin has had a number of touches on the ball, but the striker is always too far from goal to do any serious damage. The youthful partnership of Larin and Davies has not been on display nearly enough as the 40th minute rapidly approaches.
33' Play is brought to a halt as Gutierrez is down holding his leg after pulling up during a chase for the ball. He immediately grabbed his hamstring - which is a worrying sign for Martino.
31' There seems to be a bit of needle in the match now as Herdman and Mexico coach Tata Martino are having a go at each other on the touchline. El Tri have been frustrated on the pitch in the opening half hour, and that seems to be translating to the technical staff as well.
29' MEXICO FAIL TO PRODUCE FROM A GOLDEN CHANCE! Gallardo boots the ball down the touchline for Alvarado, who cuts inside and shifts his feet before crossing the ball to a charging Dos Santos. The midfielder opts to hit it on the volley from close range - blazing the effort above Borjan.
27' Danger for Canada as a free-kick on the right is played short to allow a better angle to cross for Antuna. The ball skips into the penalty area dangerously, but Hutchinson gets a crucial defensive touch at the last possible moment yet again.
25' Teibert gets to the byline on the left and cuts it back into the centre of the penalty area, but Reyes’ diving header is enough to put it out for a throw-in.
23' Mexico have made constant inroads into the Canada defence, but they’ve been unable to make it count as Hutchinson has used his experience on a number of occasions to get a last-ditch clearance on the ball. Canada must be pleased to still be level, but they haven't offered much in their own right so far.
21' Alvarado has a crack at goal from a similar position to Jimenez’s only a minute earlier - and he also misses the net after sending his shot high.
20' Antuna wins the ball on the touchline from Kaye, and he centres it immediately to Jimenez who turns Henry inside out before flashing a shot from outside the area which rises above Borjan’s crossbar.
18' Dos Santos slides in on Kaye with two feet and gives away a free-kick in midfield; though he can count himself lucky to not be booked for that reckless challenge.
16' Brault-Guillard gets forward for the first time in the match but rushes his cross and wastes the opportunity as the delivery sails high over Ochoa’s goal.
14' Dos Santos works a short corner to Gallardo, who uses the change in angle to whip a ball into the head of Jimenez. The striker gets a touch to it, but not enough to steer it goalwards as it rolls through the crowd and out for a goal-kick.
12' Ochoa is spending a lot of time outside his penalty area, acting as an auxiliary centre-back as Mexico build up in defence. El Tri seem relaxed and confident in possession - not needing to rush any forward movement.
10' An early tactical switch sees Canada move to five defenders, with Larin and Davies flanking either side of Cavallini. It looks as though Herdman has his side set to soak up pressure and hit on the counter.
8' Canada are defending with a degree of risk in the early stages as a Henry overhead clearance is required to get the ball out of his penalty area.
6' Canada use their first attack to launch a long pass down the channel for Cavallini, but Reyes’ strength is sufficient to hold off the forward and allow the ball to roll out for a goal-kick.
5' Mexico have a free-kick right beside the left corner flag and it’s put into the middle of the penalty area. It bounces around unclaimed before a Canada defender is able to swing a leg at it to knock it clear.
3' Mexico are dominating the early proceedings, but their possession has not translated into incision as the Canada midfield are holding strong.
1' Mexico get the match underway from the kick-off!
A brief recap of the group sees Mexico, Canada and Martinique all joint-top with three points, though Martinique have already played twice. Last in the group are Cuba, who have lost in both of their two opening fixtures.
Canada make six changes to the side that beat Martinique 4-0. Henry and Brault-Guillard replace Godinho and Piette in defence, while Teibert and Johnson get the nod over Arfield and Osorio in midfield. The attack also sees two alterations, as Hoilett and David make way for Cavallini and Larin.
Mexico make three changes from the XI that hammered Cuba 7-0 on Saturday. Reyes drops back into defence which allows wholesale changes in midfield as Gutierrez, Alvarez and Dos Santos replace Carlos Rodriguez, Guardado and Alvarado.
CANADA SUBS: Jonathan David, Kamal Miller, Ashtone Morgan, Marcus Godinho, Samuel Piette, Maxime Crepeau, Scott Arfield, Jayson Leuitwiler, Jonathan Osorio, Noble Okello, Liam Millar, Junior Hoilett.
CANADA XI (4-4-2): Milan Borjan; Doneil Henry, Zachary Brault-Guillard, Derek Cornelius, Mark-Anthony Kaye; Russell Teibert, Will Johnson, Alphonso Davies, Atiba Hutchinson; Lucas Cavallini, Cyle Larin.
MEXICO SUBS: Orbelin Pineda, Fernando Navarro, Carlos Salcedo, Andres Guardado, Alexis Vega, Cesar Montes, Jonathan Orozco, Carlos Rodriguez, Rodolfo Pizarro, Hugo Gonzalez, Luis Montez, Hector Moreno.
MEXICO XI (4-4-2): Guillermo Ochoa; Jesus Gallardo, Diego Reyes, Nestor Araujo, Luis Rodriguez; Roberto Alvarado, Erick Gutierrez, Edson Alvarez, Jonathan dos Santos; Uriel Antuna, Raul Jimenez.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, the team news has been confirmed! Let's start with Mexico!
John Herdman’s first eight matches in charge of the Canada men’s national team after leaving his post as manager of the women’s squad has been a dream start - with the Canucks winning in each of their last six matches. Their opening fixture in this years’ Gold Cup was overwhelmingly positive, beating Martinique 4-0 at the historic Rose Bowl. A win would guarantee a second consecutive trip to the knock-out stages for Canada, after failing to get out of the group in the 2011, 2013 and 2015 editions of the tournament; the latter of which they jointly hosted.
Mexico enter tonight’s fixture on the back of a 7-0 thrashing of group-mates Cuba; their fifth-consecutive victory since a 2-0 friendly defeat to Argentina in November 2018. Overwhelming favourites to win the tournament, El Tri will be looking to secure a first-place passage to the knock-out stages with a win over Canada.
Good evening and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Gold Cup Group A fixture between Mexico and Canada!
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