Mexico, Panama advance to Gold Cup quarters

(Reuters) – Mexico booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Martinique, while Panama also advanced from Group A after a goalless draw with Canada.

Mexico, who were stunned by Panama in the group opener but got their bid for a third consecutive Gold Cup title back on track by winning their remaining games, went ahead in the first half through Marco Fabian and Luis Montes before Kevin Parsemain’s penalty made it 2-1.

Martinique had opportunities to equalize in the second half but could not make the breakthrough, and Miguel Ponce scored from close range in the 90th minute to make the game safe for the Mexicans.

In the earlier Group A match, Panama settled for a 0-0 draw with Canada to top the group on seven points.