Mexico advance to Gold Cup Quarterfinals with 3-2 win over Martinique

Uriel Antuna continued his rich vein of form by scoring in Mexico’s 3-2 win over Martinique as El Tri advanced to the Quarterfinals of the 2019 Gold Cup.

Antuna took his tally to four goals after he netted Mexico’s breakthrough in the 29th minute. The 21-year-old unleashed a perfectly placed low shot from distance which beat keeper Loic Chauvet at his near post.

But early in the second half, Martinique equalized as Kevin Parsemain curled in a stunning free kick past Jonathan Orozco to level the score at 1-1.

Martinique’s joy was short-lived, and five minutes later, Rodolfo Pizarro was released down the left-hand side before sending a cross in for Raul Jimenez, who just needed to tap in the ball to score.

Jimenez’s goal seemed to have titled the balance of the game increasingly more in favor of El Tri, and Andres Guardado came close to sealing the game when one of his free kicks forced the ball into the woodwork.

In the 72nd minute, a slick one-touch pass from Raul Jimenez put Fernando Navarro through on goal, and the Leon defender made no mistake from short-range to score the 3-1.

WIth the game winding down, Jordy Delem would take advantage of some laxed defending inside the box, and suddenly Martinique were once again just a goal back.

Delem’s goal, however, wouldn’t end up damping Mexico’s mood, and El Tri would comfortably hold on to win Group A and remain perfect in the Gerardo “Tata” Martino era.

Next, Mexico travel to the city of Houston, Texas where they will face either Costa Rica or Haiti in their first game of the knockout phase.