Mexico and Costa Rica play goalless Draw

Mexico and Costa Rica have both secured their places in the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Gold Cup after playing out a hard-fought 0-0 draw in their final Group A match on Sunday.

The result means both nations finish the group stage with identical records of two wins and one draw, accumulating seven points each. In a tense affair at Allegiant Stadium, Mexico thought they had snatched a late victory when striker Santiago Gimenez found the net four minutes into second-half stoppage time. However, following a VAR review, the goal was disallowed for offside, ensuring the match ended goalless.

Throughout the contest, Mexico created the better opportunities, registering four shots on goal compared to Costa Rica’s zero. Veteran Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas was instrumental in securing the point for his side, making four crucial saves.

In the group’s other concluding fixture, the Dominican Republic and Suriname also played to a 0-0 draw in Arlington, Texas, a result which eliminated both teams from the competition.

The Dominican Republic showed considerable resilience, playing for an hour with ten men after defender Edgar Pujol was shown a red card in the 30th minute following a VAR review for a foul on Suriname’s Kenneth Paal.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Dominican Republic managed to create more overall shot attempts (17 to 15), though Suriname had more shots on target (5 to 3). Goalkeepers Xavier Valdez of the Dominican Republic and Warner Hahn of Suriname made five and two saves, respectively, to ensure the stalemate.

Mexico and Costa Rica now advance to the quarter-finals, while the Dominican Republic and Suriname each finish their campaign with one point.