Montes' double propels Mexico to Gold Cup QFs

Defender César Montes scored doubly successful a six-minute span successful the 2nd fractional and defending champion Mexico struggled aboriginal but managed to get past Suriname 2-0 connected Wednesday nighttime to unafraid a spot successful the knockout circular of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Montes opened the scoring connected a header disconnected a country footwear successful the 57 and added different extremity successful the 63rd infinitesimal for the Mexicans, who defeated the Dominican Republic 3-2 successful the opening lucifer of the tournament.

With 3 goals successful the tournament, the 28-year-old defender, who plays for Lokomotiv of Moscow, presently shares the scoring pb with Costa Rican Manfred Ugalde.

"I americium excited astir the goals, but the precedence is keeping a cleanable sheet. I evidently didn't ideate it; that's what strikers are for, but arsenic agelong arsenic I tin assistance the squad successful that way, I'll bash it," Montes said.

Montes had scored lone erstwhile successful his 53 erstwhile nationalist squad games earlier to the Gold Cup, successful a affable lucifer against Panama successful June 2021.

With the win, Mexico leads Group A with six points and volition play Costa Rica adjacent Sunday successful Las Vegas aiming to unafraid the archetypal spot up of the 2nd round.

The Costa Ricans are pb by erstwhile Mexican manager Miguel Herrera, who managed el Tri successful the 2014 World Cup.

"We person an aggravated lucifer coming up. It's an bully team. Miguel is simply a respected manager successful Mexico, and he'll decidedly privation to bushed us. But we're going to spell retired and enactment hard and effort to combat for the radical lead," added Montes.

The Mexicans pb the radical connected extremity quality and volition unafraid the apical spot with a draw.

"We knew it was a hard radical and that's however it has been truthful far, though it mightiness not look similar it due to the fact that of the 2 wins, but it wasn't easy," Mexico's manager Javier Aguirre said.

The Costa Ricans defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 earlier for their 2nd triumph of the Gold Cup and besides qualified for the 2nd round. Suriname and the Dominicans are eliminated.

Suriname has mislaid each 4 authoritative matches played against Mexico and volition effort to adjacent the tourney with a triumph erstwhile they play the debutant Dominican Republic adjacent Sunday.