HARRISON, New Jersey — All four Group C teams are in action once again on Friday night, with everyone still very much alive in their pursuit of a place in the quarterfinals. Martinique will square off with Panama in the first match, while Central American rivals El Salvador and Costa Rica will play in the second match.
Martinique vs Panama
The double-header will begin with a clash of the two group leaders at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. Martinique picked up a 2-1 win over El Salvador on Monday night, while Panama won by the same scoreline against Costa Rica.
Les Matinino struck twice early, with goals from Patrick Burner and Kevin Fortune coming inside the first 20 minutes. It was Burner’s second goal in four Gold Cup matches and the fourth in eight games for Fortune, making Fortune the first Martinique player to score in three straight Gold Cups.
Reduced to 10 men for much of the second half, Martinique did well to hold El Salvador off. GK Yannis Clementia saved a penalty and very nearly stopped a second one, though Bryan Tamacas’ spot kick did sneak into the net in the 96th minute.
Panama got a fine first half goal from Jose Fajardo, who made an opportunistic run into the box and headed home a well-placed cross from Eric Davis for his first Gold Cup goal in five games. Edgar Barcenas doubled the lead with a header of his own, giving him two goals in 12 Gold Cup matches played.
Like Martinique, Los Canaleros conceded once in stoppage time, but were able to hold on for the 2-1 victory.
These two sides have seen a lot of each other in recent years, with Panama largely having the upper hand. Los Canaleros took four points from their two games against Martinique in the most recent Concacaf Nations League A tournament, and also defeated them 2-0 in the group stage of the 2017 Gold Cup. Barcenas netted two goals against Les Matinino in Panama’s 5-0 victory back in June of 2022.
A victory for either side would likely be enough to push them through to the knockout round, and would see the winner rise to first place with six points. A draw would leave both teams tied for first place with four points.
Match Officials Martinique vs Panama
Referee: SAID MARTINEZ (Honduras)
1st Assistant Referee: WALTER LOPEZ (Honduras)
2nd Assistant Referee: CHRISTIAN RAMIREZ (Honduras)
4th Official: BRYAN LOPEZ (Guatemala)
VAR: TATIANA GUZMAN (Nicaragua)
AVAR1: GUILLERMO PACHECO (Mexico)
El Salvador vs Costa Rica
The second match of the night at Red Bull Arena will see El Salvador and Costa Rica vying to pick up their first points of the tournament, following their aforementioned 2-1 defeats.
Though El Salvador got a stoppage time consolation goal from Bryan Tamacas and Costa Rica got their own late consolation from Aaron Suarez, both sides will be looking to improve their offensive output this time around.
For La Selecta, who finished the game with 21 shots and 11 shots on target, it is a matter of finishing more than anything else. Particularly once Martinique were reduced to 10 men, they were able to control much of the proceedings, but just couldn’t find the back of the net.
For Costa Rica, the chances were fewer, but the combination of Suarez and the veteran Joel Campbell looked promising. In addition to the eventual goal, the pair also linked up for Los Ticos’ other best chance of the night in the 58th minute, but Campbell’s shot was parried away.
Both being from Central America, this is a matchup with a lot of history, both inside and outside the Gold Cup. The last time they were in the same group was in 2015, where they played out a 1-1 draw. Costa Rica wound up advancing to the knockout round, while El Salvador did not.
More recent high profile matches between the two took place during the final round of 2022 World Cup qualification, where Los Ticos emerged victorious 2-1 in both San Jose and San Salvador.
Depending on the results of the first match, a loss could even be enough to outright eliminate either team, so it is a do-or-die moment for both sides. Should Costa Rica fail to advance, it will be the first time they have been eliminated in the group stage since 1998.
Match Officials El Salvador vs Costa Rica
Referee: CESAR RAMOS (Mexico)
1st Assistant Referee: ALBERTO MORIN (Mexico)
2nd Assistant Referee: MARCO BISGUERRA (Mexico)
4th Official: RANDY ENCARNACION (Dominican Republic)
VAR: ERICK MIRANDA (Mexico)
AVAR1: JORGE PEREZ (Mexico)
