MIAMI, Florida – The 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage has concluded for Groups C and D as Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Canada booked their places in the quarterfinals.
There were many memorable moments from the start of the tournament, but here are the three that stood out the most from these groups.
Group C
Martinique win with 10 and two penalties against
Martinique started the tournament with three points but the way they did it was nothing short of remarkable. With goals from Patrick Burner and Kevin Fortune, Martinique took a two-goal lead in the first 16 minutes of their opening match against El Salvador.
Down to 10 men in the 48’, they held the clean sheet through the better part of the second half including a penalty kick save in the 83’. A second conceded penalty in stoppage time helped El Salvador cut the deficit to 2-1, but it was Martinique that left with the victory – the first side to do it with 10 players and two conceded penalties.
Goal record broken in Costa Rica-Martinique
The final round of group stage matches had plenty of drama. Costa Rica, El Salvador and Martinique were all in play for the final spot in Group C and two of those played each other.
After trading goals early in the first half, Costa Rica started to pull away from Martinique. The Caribbean nation cut the deficit down to two goals late in the second half in what ended up as a 10-goal match, setting a new Gold Cup record. It marked the first time that Costa Rica scored six goals in a Gold Cup match and is the sixth time that they qualified for the knockout stage with just four points.
Joel Campbell’s goal for the Ticos was his fourth career Gold Cup goal, bringing him level with Rolando Fonseca, Bryan Ruiz and Marcos Urena for fourth on the all-time Gold Cup scorers list for Costa Rica.
Panama top group first time since 2013
Two years ago, Panama missed the quarterfinals in what ended a run of eight consecutive appearances in the knockout stage. Los Canaleros are back after winning their first two matches and nearly advancing with a perfect record, if not for a last-minute El Salvador goal.
Panama not only advanced but does so as the first-place team in Group C. It’s the first time since 2013 that the Central Americans accomplish such a feat and one that bodes well, given that year marked their previous trip to the final.
Group D
Guatemala win group for first time
For the first time in a Gold Cup, Guatemala finished at the top of their group. Not conceding in the first two encounters certainly helped, with the first being a 1-0 victory against Cuba and the next a 0-0 draw with Canada.
The attacking corps brought the fireworks on the 4th of July in a 3-2 victory over Guadeloupe. As a result, Guatemala advance to a quarterfinal appearance for the first time since 2011. The seven points is the most they have ever earned in a Gold Cup group stage and Los Chapines join Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica as Central American countries to have won a Gold Cup group.
Guadeloupe score four goals in one game for first time
The most goals Guadeloupe had scored in a single edition was five goals. In one game, they nearly equaled that mark in their commanding 4-1 win over Cuba in their second group stage match.
A double from Matthias Phaeton plus first Gold Cup goals from Ange Plumain and Anthony Baron delivered the first four-goal game in the tournament for Guadeloupe. They scored eight total for another personal best.
Canada undefeated in Group Stage for fourth time
Canada managed to get out of the group stage undefeated for the fourth time in tournament history. A 2-2 home draw to Guadeloupe and a 0-0 tie in Houston against Guatemala was complemented with a 4-2 win over Cuba.
The three previous instances were 2000, 2009 and 2017. The latter two occasions ended in a quarterfinal elimination, while the former culminated with Canada’s only Gold Cup conquest.
It was the fifth time that Canada scored four goals in a Gold Cup match, with the other occasions against French Guiana in 2017, Martinique in 2019 and 2021 and Haiti in 2021. It is just the second time that Canada have qualified for the knockout stage with five points, the other coming in 2017.
