You can read the match report from tonight’s game here:
Full-time: Mexico 3-1 Jamaica. Mexico win the Gold Cup!
90 min+3: Mexico hit on the counter-attack and attempt to pass it into the ball via a series of 198 passes. It wasted some time, at least. And that’s it. Mexico win the 2015 Gold Cup!
Updated
90+1 min: Mexico have the ball exactly where they want it. Deep in the Jamaica half.
90 min: Three minutes of added time for Mexico to not collapse horribly/Jamaica to spring a ridiculous comeback.
88 min: McAnuff gives one last (?) burst of enrgy as he flays his marker down the wing before cutting in to the right and cutting the ball across the six-yard area. The keeper gets down well and collects the ball safely.
86 min: Duenas goes down as cramp, the kind of cramp that comes up when you’re 2-0 up in the final. The referee has a word and he gets to his feet and slowly jogs up the pitch. ANd is then replaced by Orozco. Hey! Maybe he was hurt!
Updated
82 min: Mexico, understandably, start to slow the ball down as Jamaica attempt to nip in and win the ball back. The excellent Corona is replaced by Esquivel.
GOAL! Mexico 3-1 Jamaica (Mattocks 79)
Can they? Will they? Probably not, but at least there’s a chance now. Jamaica hit Mexico with a quick counter and Mattocks cuts inside before hitting his shot across a sprawling Ochoa.
77 min: The camera cuts to Guardado on the bench, his ankle iced. I doubt you’ll see a happier man with an injury all year. He almost makes severe bruising look like fun. A good save for Thompson, beating away a shot from close range at his near post.
75 min: I’d have said the stadium was 70% Mexico fans at the start of the game - it sounds more like 95% now. Aguilar ambles down the flank but his cross is cut out. Dawkins is replaced by Humphrey. With this win, Mexico will take their sixth Gold Cup - one ahead of USA.
72 min: Mexico are playing beautifully. Skimming the ball around the pitch with ease and Jamaica are forced to chase. They only lose it when they attempt the odd ridiculous piece of skill. Thompson pulls off a good save, low to his left, as Mexico look for a fourth.
68 min: You could say Corona has a fair amounf of confidence. He attempts an overhead kick as the ball sails a good few feet above him. It says a fair a bit about the kind of evening he;s having that he almost connects cleanly too.
66 min: Mexico have had plenty of fortunate decisions on their way to the final, but they fully deserve their lead and - very probable - victory. They’ve had far more craft in attack, and while their defending has looked a little shaky at times, Jamaica have had few clear cut chances.
63 min: Mattocks is on for McCleary, while Nilo has replaced Guardado.
GOAL! Mexico 3-0 Jamaica (Peralta 61)
Ouch. A cross from Mexico that’s a 4/10 at best. But Hector makes it look like a 10/10 as he mistimes his clearance horribly and the ball falls to Peralta, who finishes with ease. Because he’s six yards out. And unmarked.
56 min: Austin conceded the free-kick but you can tell where Mexico’s thoughts lie. Even though it’s only 35 yards out, El Tri stroke it backwards towards their own half. They’re taking no risks.
53 min: Jamaica get a corner - and a little hope. The corner itself isn’t too dangerous but Jamaica continue to press afterwards and Morgan creates some space in the area and it’s Mexico who look panicked as they scramble the ball clear.
50 min: A replay of the goal for you:
49 min: Wow. Jamaica had started the half slowly - perhaps looking to play rather than smash their way back into the match but Corona outfought his marker to win the ball and score. Sloppy stuff from the Reggae Boyz but great cheek from Corona.
GOAL! Mexico 2-0 Jamaica (Corona 46)
And we’re back. Jamaica start more slowly than they did in the first-half, as Mexico ... a lot more slowly. After a long spell of possession, Mexico stroll forward and Corona steals the ball off Austin, and skips forward before smashing the ball past Thompson.
Half-time: Mexico 1-0 Jamaica
Half time: A small piece of brilliance from Mariappa is followed by a dangerous ball thta sweeps across the area and is flailed clear by Mexico for a Jamaica corner. Hector smashes the ball over the bar - Jamaica have ended the half as well as they started it - but it was Mexico who dominated in between, and they’re deserving of their lead.
44 min: Mexico play a few lovely balls across midfield inside the Jamaica half but the Reggae Boyz clear. McCleary - who is coming into the game more as the half goes on - then sweeps across the pitch but his shot is blocked.
41 min: Barnes pulls of a lovely pirouette before being clattered by his marker. Oooof: Austin then goes in two-footed and is very lucky not to receive a second booking for a minor assault on his opponent’s shins. And ankles. And heels.
38 min: The goal has woken up Jamaica a little and they’ve taken up residency in the Mexico half, and McCleary trickery is causing a few alarms for the Mexico full-backs. Some praise for Jamaica’s keeper on the goal from Scott Bassett. “The nicest thing you can say about Thompson there is that he collected the ball very nicely as it bounced out of the back of his net,” he chuckles.
34 min: Was that goal coming? Yep. Jamaica had dominated for the first five minutes but since then Mexico have outplayed their opponents completely. Jamaica have been organised at best, but have offered little in the way of creativity. Guardado’s deft finish was everything Jamaica are missing. But ... the Reggae Boyz have a free-kick 30 yards out, and Reyes booked. Barnes stands over the ball - remember he scored from this distance against USA. This time it clips the wall and is over for a corner.
GOAL! Mexico 1-0 Jamaica (Guardado 31)
What a finish from Guardado! Admittedly, Jamaica don’t bother to mark him but he finishes deftly on the volley from an angle off a hopeful ball. His sixth of the tournament - and his best so far.
30 min: Jamaica catch their breaths with a few neat passes across the pitch as they roll forward. Nothing comes of it but it relieves the pressure that Mexico had been puring on for the last 10 minutes or so. Or they do until Mexico break and Corona curls the ball over the bar in plenty of space. And a third yellow of the game - for Austin this time. Elbows were involved.
27 min: Corona’s powerful header is clawed wide by Thompson and Mexico are increasing the pressure. Peralta is unmarked on the corner but heads straight at the keeper. Then Duenas forces Thompson into another corner. The poor guy is seriously overworked at the moment - they should be paying him overtime.
24 min: We’ve seen Bad Duenas so far this game, now it’s time for Good Duenas to show off. Peralta skips into the Reggae Boyz’ area and squares the ball to Duenas, who arrives late to crash the ball into a defender’s legs. Good thrust forward though, and Mexico are having the better of the game at the moment. Watson is booked, a little harshly perhaps.
22 min: A bit of confusion for Jamaica as two defenders attempt to clear the same ball. Mexico get their first corner of the game soon afterwards but the ball is soon snuggled into Thompson’s chest.
20 min: Aguilar zooms down the right flank and Thompson scuttles out of goal to collec the cross - he’s looked solid so far for Jamaica, more so than Ochoa who has been a little nervous in the Mexican goal.
18 min: A few nice passes between Corona and his team-mates work some space on the Mexico right but Jamaica are quick to snuff the move out. Duenas continues his quest to get himself sent off before half-time with a clattering foul that brings a Jamaica free-kick. A bad Jamaica free-kick too.
16 min: Alanis takes around five minutes to take a throw in. Playing for penalties already. Austin puts a big boot into Duenas, and Mexico have a free-kick around 40 yards out. Thompson screams at his defenders to concentrate, and being obliging types they listen and head away the danger.
13 min: You know when you realise you’ve forgotten the charges for your computer in a major football final? Yeah, that. Still, we’re on 48% - I’m sure everything will be fi...
12 min: Layun finds some space on the left and skips up the wing. After a few quicks passes, he’s in a good position to cross but he wastes the ball and Jamaica can clear. Both sides exploiting space on the wings - but Jamaica are doing it far more effectively.
10 min: Chances for Jamaica! A couple of balls are fired across the box: the most dangerous sees Dawkins spin away from Duenas and swing and miss at the ball around 10 yards out.
8 min: A bit disjointed in the opening stages but there’s plenty of energy from both teams as they tear about the park. Morgan goes on a wander in his own half and is close to giving it away to Mexico in a dangerous area. At the other end, Duenas is booked for pulling down a charging McAnuff. Jamaica have a free-kick in the left of the area. Austin curls the ball in - it flies wide. If a Jamaican head had got on the end of that, Mexico would have been in trouble.
5 min: McAnuff has decided today’s game will mostly be physical and crashes into opponent in a tangle of legs. I believe that’s called sending a message. And conceding a free-kick.
3 min: Jamaica have an early free-kick on the edge of the area. It’s swung in but a group of Mexico heads are hanging about to head clear. Miguel Herrera is, of course, looking more excited that most coaches get in 20 years.
1 min: And we’re off. Although somehow the kick-off is taken 10 seconds early. Possibly because the players were impatient after being held on the pitch for 6 minutes of pointless build-up But we digress.
Anthem watch. The Reggae Boyz opt for focused stares as Jamaica, Land We Love is played. Mexico go arm in arm and belt out their anthem - which is easy enough when you have 70% of the stadium singing along with you.
The teams are out. And despite the hosts USA not being in the final, the stadium is packed and the crowd in good voice. Scanning around the stadium, there are a fair few more Mexico shirts than Jamaican ones. But there is a Jamaican flag flying from the top of the crane outside my window. So they win points for most creative use of a national symbol. On the pitch, hands are shaken, pennants and pleasantries exchanged. Mexico are in black, and Jamaica yellow.
Giles Barnes, one of Jamaica’s best players so far this tournament, is out on the pitch and warming up. He gives up a very upbeat interview with Fox Sports - and why wouldn’t he, he’s in the Gold Cup final. More importantly, Jamaica have brilliant warm-up kits. Sleeveless numbers, like the Cameroon number that Fifa banned for being too revealing. Which is odd, seeing as Sepp Blatter was all for women wearing tighter shorts.
Just the one change for Jamaica as we see them warm-up. Simon Dawkins is in for Darren Mattocks. I said earlier Vela was unavailable through injury - that is a massive lie - he’s suspended. But he’s not playing either way - Corona is in to replace him.
So, what’s the secret to Jamaica’s success this tournament? The Guardian’s Terrance Ross reckons familiarity has much to do with it:
Jamaica’s fantastic run in the Gold Cup can be attributed to their experience at last month’s Copa América. International teams, heavy on talent, yet short on familiarity often fall victim to the truncated training times they are afforded — usually just a few weeks before the start of a tournament. This Jamaica side, however, which retained 17 of the 23 players who played in that tournament, has been together for the better part of two months, learning and growing together.
And the teams are in. The Dos Santos brothers were fitness concerns coming into this game. One of the Dos Santos(ae?) has made it -Jonathan - while Gio is on the bench. Vela on the other hand will miss out through suspension
OfficialLineup #GoldCup2015 Final! #JAMvMEX @ItsTheJFF @miseleccionmx follow via #GAMECAST http://t.co/z50kAo3okT pic.twitter.com/JP99fk8EcN
— Gold Cup 2015 (@GoldCup) July 26, 2015
Updated
Some history. In the unlikely scenario that they’re spending the build-up to tonight’s game reading substandard liveblogs, Jamaica may want to look away now. These times have met five times in the Gold Cup and Mexico have won ... five times. They’ve also scored 17 goals to Jamaica’s two in those contests. But history is meant to be ripped up, stomped on and laughed at (unless it’s about serious stuff, like wars and famine, best to listen then). But sport? Nah, just laugh at it. And the Reggae Boyz have been doing a fair bit of chuckling in the this tournament, having upset the hosts and alpha males USA in the semi-finals. Mexico, on the other hand have the experience and a bit of luck on their side after some ... interesting refereeing decisions in previous rounds.
Tom will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Terrance Ross’s preview:
In a recent interview with ESPN, Jamaica’s German head coach Winfried ‘Winnie’ Schäfer, described his love for his adopted country’s most famous citizen: “I listen [to Bob Marley] on the bus. In the morning, in the evening, Bob Marley, Bob Marley, Bob Marley. It’s fantastic.”
But with a win on Sunday, Schäfer – whose broken English can on occasion resemble the colloquialisms of the Jamaican dialect – could find himself etched into the country’s folklore as well. That is, if he is able to complete the fairytale and lead Jamaica to their first ever Gold Cup title over Concacaf giants Mexico.
Truthfully, one would have been hard-pressed to find anyone predicting a Jamaica-Mexico final before the start of the tournament. Jamaica’s run has been unprecedented: they’ve already recorded their greatest ever Gold Cup performance by making the final. At this stage it would be silly to bet against them.
While many pundits decried the US for a poor showing in their 2-1 semi final defeat at the hands of the Caribbean side, too few have given Jamaica their deserved plaudits. Adopting the “David v Goliath” ethos, as Schäfer so willingly does, Jamaica were fearless against Jürgen Klinsmann’s side, putting in a smart and disciplined performance, bombing forward strategically on set pieces and relying on the speed of Giles Barnes and Darren Mattocks to counter. It was a mature performance from a team that few gave any chance heading into this tournament.
