Mexico suffered a 1-0 loss to Qatar but still finished top of their Gold Cup group.
Mexico earned its ninth Gold Cup title at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, beating Panama 1-0 thanks to a late winner from Santiago Gimenez.
Breaking the spirits of Panama fans, Gimenez’s 88th-minute golden goal had fans of both sides on their feet as the striker dashed into the field tightly guarded by opposition defence.
Gimenez’s goal came three minutes after the footballer was substituted onto the pitch.
Striking 23 shots with seven on target, Mexico held a more dominant stat advantage over Panama, who only managed 14 shots with two on target.
Despite the edge by the Mexicans, Panama kicked off the match strong, both offensively and defensively, though goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera denied several attacks by the El Tri side.
Panama’s best opportunity came in the 87th minute, but Edgar Barcenas’ long-range shot struck outside of the box.
The result marks a new chapter for Mexico as the team suffered an embarrassing 3-0 loss to the United States in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League last month.
Mexico football chiefs fired national team coach Diego Cocca in the wake of the loss, positioning Jaime Lozano as interim coach.
“A game against the United States can be lost,” Mexican Football Federation president Juan Carlos Rodriguez said upon the change in coaches.
“There’s always that risk because this is football, and the win can go one way or the other. What cannot be accepted was the way in which it happened,” Rodriguez added.
Now the goal by the Argentina-born Gimenez opens a new era for Mexico, who also witnessed an awkward elimination at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
“We’re living a dream right now,” said Lozano, the interim coach under contract only for the Gold Cup.
“Today the environment was like being in a World Cup,” Lozano said through a translator. “It wasn’t like a Gold Cup. I’m dreaming after I saw a stadium like we saw today, and to provide people with the happiness we’ve seen. Again, the team gave everything. We knew that we were writing history, and you have to take these opportunities.”