Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado
A night of conflict and controversy ended with referees surrounded by security and another win by Mexico surrounded by suspicion.
Andres Guardado scored two goals on penalty kicks, including the tiebreaker in extra time, and six-time champion Mexico beat short-handed and angered Panama 2-1 in the Gold Cup semifinals yesterday (Macau time).
Turmoil on the field incited fans — among the 70,511 at the Georgia Dome — to hurl drinks and other debris onto the field on two occasions.
Tensions rose after a foul was called on Panama’s Roman Torres for touching the ball with his hand in the penalty area late in the second half when Panama was protecting a 1-0 lead. There was a delay as cups were thrown from the stands. Players from both teams argued on the sideline and appeared to be on the verge of an all-out melee before being separated.
The call set up Guardado’s first penalty kick in stoppage time.
Panama coach Hernan Gomez called it a “stolen goal” and said he was left with “immense sadness.”
“I ask myself why did this happen?” Gomez said through a translator. “We were doing everything well. It is very sad.
“We are people of football and I still can’t believe this happened and I wonder if this really happened.”
Mexico will play Jamaica in the final Sunday in Philadelphia. Jamaica upset defending champion United States 2-1 in the first semifinal and will be appearing in its first final.
“This is not the ideal situation,” Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said. “It wasn’t the ideal way to win.”
Panama’s Roman Torres scored on a header early in the second half, and the 1-0 lead held until Guardado’s penalty kick in stoppage time. The penalty kick, which followed a 10-minute delay as tempers flared, set up the extra time.
Panama played at a disadvantage after forward Luis Tejada drew a red card and was ejected for his contact with Mexico’s Francisco Rodriguez about 25 minutes into the match.
Similar controversy surrounded Mexico’s 1-0 win over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals Sunday night. The win came on Guardado’s penalty kick in the final minute of extra time after Roy Miller was called for a questionable foul on Oribe Peralta.
“We didn’t produce football,” Herrera said. “We had nothing to do with that.”
Panama was denied its second straight final. It lost to the U.S. in the 2013 final after beating Mexico in the semifinals.
A win by Panama’s win would have been an upset, but not on the level of Jamaica’s shocker over the U.S. Mexico is No. 40 in the world rankings and has appeared in seven of 12 finals in the CONCACAF tournament. Panama is 62nd. Charles Odum, Atlanta, AP
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