Topics: Mexico, Guadeloupe, Panama, Gold Cup, El Tri
It surely started well for El Tri against Panama, but the way things ended was worse than one could ever think. A fourth minute opener thought to have put things on the right track for Mexico, but troubles were just about to arrive.

Mexico celebrate against Panama - Giovani Dos Santos gives five to El Tri's captainAn equalizer for Panama and two red cars for El Tri meant that Mexico had suffered a bad day.

Next up is a match against Guadeloupe in round 3 of the Gold Cup tournament. Can Mexico overcome the challenges and qualify to the quarterfinals of the competition?

Coach Javier Aguirre will be unable to support his boys from the touch line; the Mexican boss was given a red card in the last moments of the game against Panama. Adding to this sorrow will be midfielder Noriega’s absence on Sunday.

 

Meanwhile, Giovanni Dos Santos, who set up Mexico’s goal against Los Canaleros, suffered a bad foul during the game for which Armando Gun saw red. The starlet may not be fully fit to feature against Guadeloupe. However, Mexico will need to put all these problems behind come Sunday.

Only one point will do for Mexico to reach the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. El Tri are currently locked on four points, two behind Guadeloupe who have a 100% record so far.
The pressure is now off the Gwada Boys who might still want to avoid a defeat in order to ensure themselves the first spot in Group C.

But Mexico will not take Guadeloupe’s comfortable position as a reason to enter the game with less concentration. The job is all but done for El Tri. However, their draw against Panama certainly showed that there is still some work to do before they can reclaim their image as fearful giants of the CONCACAF region.

Avoiding a loss is the safest thing for El Tri. Calculations explain that if the Mexicans get beaten by Guadeloupe, they’ll need Panama to get nothing more than a draw before they can reach the quarterfinals.

A victory for Panama and a defeat for Mexico will see Javier Aguirre’s men pack their bags before Los Canaleros. Can the Mexicans avenge themselves from the dirty draw they got against Panama by getting a good result against Guadeloupe?

For Mexico, who are fourth in the CONCACAF world cup qualifying table, this game against Guadeloupe is all for their taking. For Guadeloupe, the pressure ahead of this third round clash is nothing more than little.