Mexico open Gold defence with victory

MEXICO launched their CONCACAF Gold Cup title defence with a comfortable 3-1 victory over El Salvador in their Group C opener on Sunday.

A young Mexico side aiming to capture an eighth Gold Cup crown took the first step with goals from Hedgardo Marin, Elias Hernandez and Orbelin Pineda.

Mexico are competing at the regional showpiece in the US without the regulars who finished fourth at the Confederations Cup in Russia l ast month.

And manager Juan Carlos Osorio could only watch from a hospitality suite at Denver’s Qualcomm Stadium as he serves a six-game ban for an outburst directed at Confederations Cup officials.

Colombian Luis Pompilio Paez directed the team from the sideline.

“To start with a win is very important,” Paez said. “It gives the group a lot of confidence, and it’s easier to correct defects by winning than by losing.

“Our achilles’ heel was the defence in the first half, but we made adjustments and things were solved,” he added.

Paez could not speak with Osorio immediately after the game because, under the suspension handed down by FIFA, the coach is not allowed to enter the locker room.

“Surely he suffered a lot more up there than down here,” Paez said of Osorio’s enforced vantage point away from the team. “But I’m sure he’s happy.”

Wit h t he wi n, Mexi c o stretched their unbeaten run against El Salvador to seven games, a streak that dates back to 2009.

On Thursday they’ll take on Jamaica, the team they beat in the 2015 final, in Denver. The Reggae Boyz overcame a sluggish first half to beat Curacao 2-0 in the first match of the day’s double-header.