Controversial late penalty lifts Mexico over Costa Rica
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. --
Andres Guardado converted a disputed penalty in the final seconds of extra time to send Mexico through to the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals with a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica.
Mexico spent most of the night wasting chances in front of goal, but they benefited from the decisiveness of referee Walter Lopez in the dying embers of the game. Oribe Peralta tumbled as he went to hit a header with Roy Miller in close proximity. Replays showed scant contact between the two players, but Lopez pointed to the spot anyways.
Guardado did not squander the controversial reprieve as he fired into the upper left corner of the net to send El Tri through to face Panama in the semifinal on Wednesday night.
The outcome probably reflected the balance of play in the end, but the denouement left a bitter taste as the Costa Ricans were crushed at the last possible moment. It proved particularly harsh given the decision itself, but the Mexicans will not wallow too much on their good fortune as they march onwards.
There were few signs of the tumult to follow as Mexico opened brightly and pushed the cadence of the game in the early stages. It took several minutes for Costa Rica to find their footing as El Tri committed numbers forward and placed the Ticos under duress. The Costa Rican shape -- 4-2-3-1 with José Miguel Cubero wisely restored to harass the Mexican midfield three -- held firm enough with Giancarlo Gonzalez intervening on a couple of occasions to cut out crosses.
The desire to play higher up the field left Mexico exposed to Costa Rica’s pace on the counter. Campbell posed a constant threat with his direct running and his endeavor on the right. His hopeful cross toward the far post forced Guillermo Ochoa to palm away at the last instant as the Ticos started to find their footing in the game.
After spending most of the early stages in their own half, the Costa Ricans settled down and started to find more opportunities to keep possession as the half-hour approached. Cubero and Celso Borges served as the hub of those activities, but Campbell and Bryan Ruiz presented the primary danger men.
It came as no surprise to see Campbell produce the best Costa Rican chance of the first half when he located time and space to pick up his head on the right. The quality of his delivery matched his evident intent as he picked out Johan Venegas at the back post. Venegas did well to drift away from Diego Reyes’ skittish attentions, but he rushed his shot with Ochoa out to close space and sent his effort over the bar.
The reprieve inspired El Tri to chase the game a bit more in the closing minutes of the first half. Andres Guardado prompted a fine low block from the busy Esteban Alvarado with his effort from distance, while Peralta watched his chance to pounce on the stroke of halftime spiral away with his deflected effort.
Mexico maintained the necessary impetus at the start of the second half in a bid to take firm control of the match. Campbell continued to present a threat on the break for the Ticos, but Peralta once again found himself in position to waste another enticing chance in front of goal.
In lieu of those quick combinations through the line, the Mexicans reverted to more direct play to create a gilt-edged opportunity. Maza Rodriguez launched a diagonal from left to right toward Carlos Vela on the edge of the penalty area. Vela flicked the ball down for Peralta to finish, but Peralta pinged his low effort off the outside of the post.
Both managers turned to their benches in a bid to freshen up the proceedings on the hour. Elias Aguilar replaced the ineffectual David Ramirez up front for Costa Rica, while Carlos Esquivel stepped into the Mexican midfield in place of Héctor Herrera.
Esquivel -- a key figure in the 2-2 draw between these two sides in a pre-tournament friendly last month -- made an immediate impact. He nearly scored in the moments after his arrival as he turned a cross toward goal, but Alvarado produced a stunning save to divert the effort onto the bar. That chance and his energy lifted his teammates as they searched for the winner, but their sharpness in front of goal continued to let them down.
Vela replaced Peralta as the prime culprit as his intelligent runs ended with errant efforts. Guardado prompted a decent chance with his long ball out of the back, but Vela flailed in his attempts to fire anywhere within the vicinity of goal. His subsequent shot from a tight angle whizzed over the bar, too.
By this point, El Tri were well on top without the necessary end product to show for it. Jesus Corona injected some life when he replaced Vela in the late stages, but he did not produce the winner necessary to avoid extra time.
There were few hints of a winner as the Costa Ricans exercised caution after the introductions of defenders Roy Miller and David Myrie. Mexico huffed and puffed to generate chances without mustering the incisiveness required to break down another organized opponent.
It never quite materialized for either team. Gonzalez nearly threw Mexico a lifeline by turning into his own net as he made a recovery tackle, but the ball skittered just wide. Campbell then embarked upon a dazzling solo run only to see a teammate stray into an offside position before he could prompt a fine save from Ochoa.
The match looked destined for penalties until the last possible moment when referee Lopez took fate into his own hands. Peralta -- somehow handed only a yellow card after a brutal, two-footed challenge minutes earlier -- tumbled inside the penalty with Miller at close attention. Replays showed there was scant contact between the two players, but Lopez pointed to the spot anyways to plunge the result into controversy.
Costa Rica players furiously surrounded the referee to vent their frustrations, but the decision handed Mexico a lifeline at the last possible moment nevertheless. Guardado did not waste it as he fired into the upper left hand corner to send El Tri through to face Panama in the semifinals on Wednesday.
