Costa Rica and Mexico Advance to Gold Cup
Quarterfinals

Washington, 19 Jun (ONA) — Costa Rica
secured their place in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals after defeating the
Dominican Republic 2-1 in their second match of Group A of the tournament,
co-hosted by the United States and Canada.

The Dominican Republic took an early lead in
the 16th minute, but Costa Rica equalized just before halftime with a
44th-minute penalty. The Ticos sealed the victory in the 85th minute when scored
the decisive goal.

In another match of Group A, Mexico booked their
quarterfinal spot with a 2-0 victory over Suriname. César Montes scored both
goals for El Tri in the 57th and 63rd minutes.

With this result, Mexico now leads the group
with a perfect six points, holding a one-goal advantage over second-placed Costa
Rica, who also have six points. Both Suriname and the Dominican Republic remain
pointless after two matches.

The final group stage match between Mexico
and Costa Rica will now determine the group winner and runner-up, though both
teams have already secured knockout stage berths.

According to the tournament format, the Group
A winner will face the runner-up of Group D – which includes the United States,
Saudi Arabia, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago – in the quarterfinals. The Group
A runner-up will play against the Group D winner.

The 16-team
tournament features four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from
each group advancing to the knockout stage.

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Ends/Khalid