Glendale (USA), June 29: Alexis Vega snapped a 19-match scoreless streak in international play with a goal in the 49th minute and defending champion Mexico beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals on Saturday night.
Mexico will face Honduras in the semifinals on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California. Honduras beat Panama in a penalty shootout earlier Saturday after the teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation.
The 27-year-old Vega scored after finding some room to work following a nice pass from Raúl Jimenez. His first shot bounced off goalkeeper Nawaf Alaquidi, but the forward quickly corralled the rebound and sent it through Alaquidi’s legs and into the net.
Vega was initially ruled offside but after review, the goal was allowed and Mexico had a 1-0 lead.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was pleased with how his team played, particularly after halftime. He said they’re heading in the right direction going into the semfinals.
“It was an A-plus,” the coach said.
Vega’s goal snapped a scoreless streak in international play that dates back to 2022. It also ended a dry spell for Mexico, which scored for the first time in 166 minutes of play.
El Tri’s final match in group play ended with a scoreless draw against Costa Rica.
Mexico pushed ahead 2-0 in the 81st minute on an own goal by Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Madu. Mexico’s Mateo Chavez sent a crossing pass to Roberto Alvarado, who never made contact with the ball. Instead, it caromed off a defending Madu and into the net.
Saudi Arabia stifled Mexico’s offense for much of a scoreless, physical first half. The tension escalated just before the halftime break — Saudi Arabia’s Ali Majrashi and Mexico’s Jesús Gallardo were both being shown yellow cards after the two exchanged shoves.
Gallardo will be suspended for the semifinal round because he has too many yellow cards in the tournament.
Gilberto Mora — a 16-year-old midfielder — made his international debut for Mexico and played well over 72 minutes. He’s the youngest player to ever play for El Tri.
“He doesn’t have any limits right now,” Aguirre said. “He has room to grow … and is eager to learn.”
Mexico is in the knockout stage of the Gold Cup for the 18th consecutive time. Saudi Arabia is playing in its first Gold Cup as an invited guest and advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Haiti, losing to the U.S. and playing to a draw with Trinidad and Tobago.
El Tri is two wins away from a 10th Gold Cup championship, which would be the most in the tournament’s history. The United States has won seven times while Canada won once.
Saudi Arabia has never beaten Mexico in international play, with six losses and a draw.(AP)
