In a re-edition of the 2013 Gold Cup semi-final which saw Los Panameños emerge victorious, Mexico and Panamá will face each other one more time to win their spot in the title deciding game. Although both sides have been consistent enough to remain undefeated, Panama hasn't been able to win a single game in this Gold Cup edition. On the other hand, Mexico earned their spot in the semi-finals after a controversial and dramatic victory over Costa Rica, with a penalty kick handed to El Tri in the dying seconds of the extra time's second half.
The most recent chapters of this rivalry have delivered some excruciating games. Since the 2013 Gold Cup, Panamá has been able to take a stand against Mexico, making El Tri suffer when they face Los Canaleros. In fact, that tournament saw both sides face each other twice, one in the group stage and the other in the semi-finals. Both games were won by Panama 2-1.
Their next meetings came during the World Cup Qualifiers in 2013, with Mexico barely being able to outscore Panamá. The first game ended with no team being able to break the deadlock, while the second one was decided by a wonderful bicycle kick by Raul Jiménez in the dying seconds of the game, which kept Mexico's hopes of qualifying alive. Considering all games, Mexico and Panama have faced each other thirteen times, resulting in seven victories for El Tri, along with four drawn games and two wins for Los Canaleros.
Before their victory over Costa Rica, Mexico's display in the tournament hadn't been as dominant as expected. After thrashing Cuba 6-0 in their Gold Cup debut, Mexico drew two consecutive games against Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago. The last game was rather disappointing for Herrera's men, having blown a two-goal lead and ending the match 4-4. During that game, El Tri lost Giovani Dos Santos due to a groin injury, and his participation in Wednesday's game remains doubtful. Other than that, Mexico will be able to start Real Sociedad's Carlos Vela, Club América's Oribe Peralta, and PSV's Andrés Guardado, who was named Man of the Match after his performance against Costa Rica, where he scored the game-winning goal from the penalty spot.
Panama has also enjoyed its share of luck during the competition. Los Canaleros were not able to win a single match in the group stage, but they showed their class against the U.S. in the final game, which gave them a chance to progress. In their Quarter-final match against T&T, Hernan Dario Gomez's men survived a nerve-wrecking penalty shootout, where Jaime Penedo emerged as the hero by denying the Soca Warriors' last shot.
Panama knows how to defeat El Tri, and they surely will try to upset the Mexicans with the help of seasoned players such as Luis Tejada and Blas Pérez. Both men have been key to the team's best results against Mexico in the past decade, having Tejada score a goal during the 2006 WC Qualifiers, and Blas Perez contributing to the team's latest Gold Cup victory over El Tri with a goal.
Will Mexico be able to earn some payback after their 2013 elimination, or will Panama deny El Tri the chance to win their seventh Gold Cup trophy?
Gold Cup: Team sheets for Mexico vs Panama
Mexico's Starting XI: Ochoa; Aguilar, Rodríguez, Alanís, Reyes, Layún; Herrera, J. Dos Santos, Guardado; Vela, Peralta.
Panama's starting XI: Penedo, Pimentel, Cummings, Torres, Nurse, Tejada, Cooper, Machado, Davis, Quintero, Godoy.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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