Mexico – Panama

Gabriel Torres scored twice to lead Panama to a 2-1 victory over Mexico in the first round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the Rose Bowl on Sunday. Torres gave Panama a 1-0 lead with a penalty kick in the seventh minute, but his second goal broke a 1-1 tie and stunned a pro-Mexico crowd of 56,822. Torres scored the game-winner in the 48th minute after taking a pass from Alberto Quintero, threading the ball through the two-foot gap between Mexican goalie Jonathan Orozco and the near post. Torres one-timed the shot with the side of his right foot. Marco Fabian scored for Mexico two minutes into stoppage time of the first half.

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Mexico was thought to be a heavy favorite among Group B teams, but struggled to resemble a team in search of its third consecutive Gold Cup championship. Bad passes, missed shots and a strong defensive effort by Panama contributed to Mexico’s loss.