Mexico power into Gold Cup quarters

LOS ANGELES: Defending champion Mexico booked their spot in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup on Sunday by blanking Curacao 2-0 and stretching their tournament win streak to eight straight games. Mexico finished first in Group C with two wins and a draw for seven points. Jamaica was second with five points and El Salvador finished third with four points. Jamaica and El Salvador both punched their tickets to the quarterfinals after playing to a 1-1 draw earlier on Sunday. Mexico will next face Honduras on Thursday in Phoenix, Arizona with the winner advancing to the semifinals. Jamaica square off against tournament surprise Canada in the other quarterfinal on Thursday. The United States, who won Group B, will battle El Salvador on Wednesday while Costa Rica faces Panama. There was little riding on Sunday night’s match as Curacao had been eliminated before the game when El Salvador tied Jamaica. Angel Sepulveda and teenager Edson Alvarez scored for Mexico who fielded a team that featured just one player from their 2017 Fifa Confederations Cup squad. Sepulveda scored halfway through the first half in front of a crowd of 44,000 at the Alamodome Arena. Mexico then held on until 19-year-old Alvarez scored his first international goal in the 91st minute to seal the victory. Mexico is seeking its eighth Gold Cup title having won previously in 1993, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2015. — AFP