Thursday 19 / June / 2025
Washington: Costa Rica secured their place in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals after defeating the Dominican Republic 2-1 in their second match of Group A of the tournament, co-hosted by the United States and Canada.
The Dominican Republic took an early lead in the 16th minute, but Costa Rica equalised just before halftime with a 44th-minute penalty. The Ticos sealed the victory in the 85th minute when scored the decisive goal.
In another match of Group A, Mexico booked their quarterfinal spot with a 2-0 victory over Suriname. César Montes scored both goals for El Tri in the 57th and 63rd minutes.
With this result, Mexico now leads the group with a perfect six points, holding a one-goal advantage over second-placed Costa Rica, who also have six points. Both Suriname and the Dominican Republic remain pointless after two matches.
The final group stage match between Mexico and Costa Rica will now determine the group winner and runner-up, though both teams have already secured knockout stage berths.
According to the tournament format, the Group A winner will face the runner-up of Group D - which includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago - in the quarterfinals. The Group A runner-up will play against the Group D winner.
The 16-team tournament features four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
