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20 novembre 2018
CONCACAF U20 : Lainez leads Mexico to the final
From 1st to 21st November, the CONCACAF U20 Championship is held in Bradenton (Florida, USA). Thirty-four nations, divided into six groups, take part in a preliminary round. The leader of each group will qualify for a final round where six nations, divided into two groups, will try to clinch one of the four qualifying spots for the U20 World Cup.
During the Matchday 3 of the final round, Mexico secured their spot for the final !
Panama – Mexico : 2-2
Both already qualified for the U20 World Cup, the two nations were facing each other with a ticket for the final at stake. Los Canaleros earned a two-goal advantage just before the halftime thanks to a brace netted by Ernesto Walker.
However, Mexico came from behind in the second half and can thank Diego Lainez. The Maurice Revello Tournament 2018 best player has been involved in the two goals scored by his side. He has notably delivered an assist for Diego Hernandez on the hour mark.
This equalizer was enough for Mexico to claim the top spot of the group. El Tri finished with the same amount of points than Panama, the same goal difference, the same total of goals scored. But, the Mexicans collected less yellow cards than the Panamanians during the preliminary round.
Group H : Mexico 4 pts, Panama 4 pts, Salvador 1 pt.
KEY FACTS
- Mexico will face in final the country host and title holders United States.
- The last final between the two nations was played on 2013. El Tri earned a 3-1 win over USA. All the goals in this final have been scored by players who took part in the Maurice Revello Tournament. Jesus Corona, Julio Gomez and Jonathan Espericueta for Mexico, Benji Joya for USA.
- A win, a draw or a loss by three goals or less against USA was enough for Honduras to clinch a U20 World Cup spot. They reached their aim by losing only 0-1. During the next World Cup held in 2019 in Poland, CONCACAF will be represented by Mexico, USA, Panama and Honduras.
Amayes Brahmi
Credits photo : CONCACAF
