Mexico – Panama

Mexico and Panama could play a high-scoring finale

The CONCACAF Gold Cup final will take place on the night of 17 July. The pair of participants of the decisive match turned out to be unexpected. Mexico was expected against the USA, but Panama reached the main game. The secret of Panama's breakthrough is quite simple. The team plays with the main squad, which can not be said about the three grands. Mexico, Panama and the USA brought mostly reserves. Plus Panama has a very experienced squad. Many players still played at the World Cup in Russia. For the national team, the tournament may have historical significance. Another factor is a successful draw. The Panamanians were very lucky with the group. The main rival in the group was an exhausted Costa Rica. In the first round of the playoffs, the team played against the reserves of the national team of Qatar. At the same time, the meeting turned out to be very spectacular. Panama usually does not score a lot, but this tournament is an exception. Until the semi-finals - in each match at least two goals. The Qataris managed to load four. The style of play has changed. The wards of Spanish specialist Christiansen acted bravely even against the USA. They could count on victory in regulation time, as they outperformed the Americans on many indicators: there were more shots on goal, corner kicks and percentage of ball possession. In the end, Panama made it to the final only after a penalty shootout. Mexico changed coaches before the tournament. The decision has already paid off. The team came alive and flew to the title. The Mexicans refused to experiment with three centre-backs. "Tri-coloured" operate on a simple scheme with four players behind. The backbone is made up of players from the Mexican league. The meeting with Jamaica was somewhat surprising in terms of the score. The islanders were defeated 0:3. Mexicans competently implemented their chances in the first part of the match, and then cold-bloodedly acted from defence. Panama and Mexico are frequent rivals in CONCACAF. The teams are among the elite of their confederation. The Panamanians have nothing to be proud of in this confrontation lately. If you take the distance of ten meetings, the entire catch of the Panama national team - two draws. It is clear that the final will be a special match. Mexico will face a strong defence of the opponent. Bookmakers expect a very close game. So much so that as a base total they give two goals. It is logical to assume an alternative scenario at least in the second half. Panama holds one of the most productive tournaments in its own history. The team has scored eleven goals in five games. That is, the team should have chances. In the second half, the game can go on a more open scenario. Mexicans are not interested in extra time.