It was 21 years since Mexico had faced Canada in the Gold Cup knockout stage. Mexico lost 2-1 to Canada in 2000 after Richard Hastings scored a goal that set the stage for Canada's first and only Gold Cup title.El Tri was determined to not repeat history and needed a goal in the 98th minute from midfielder Hector Herrera to stop a Canada side that tested the strength of the Gold Cup champions.After a night of intense emotion that saw many scraps between players from both sides, Mexican midfielder Jonathan dos Santos started despite learning about his father's death shortly before kickoff. El Tri won the record-setting 10th Gold Cup final with an impressive 2-1 victory.Dos Santos, better known as Zizinho, decided to play after his father Geraldo Francisco dos Santes (better known by Zizinho) died on Thursday afternoon. He was then used for 60 minutes before Erick Gutierrez was substituted. Hector Moreno, defender, said after the match that Zizinho was a "great person". "I pray that his family is well and we offer our deepest condolences.In the first half, Maxime Crepeau was beaten by Orbelin Pineda who scored a penalty that opened the scoring. The Mexico team hugged Dos Santos to show their support for the man they loved. It seemed that the whole team, not just Dos Santos, was playing with their hearts on its sleeves for long periods of semifinal clash.Mexico had already dominated its opponents with an offensive attack similar to the one it used to beat Honduras, but Mexico was under pressure. The Canadians were able to use their aggression against them and eventually broke through with a brilliant goal by Tajon Buchanan in the 57th minute.Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. Only)- Do you not have ESPN? Get instant accessJohn Herdman, Canada manager, stated that he believes that the match had shown "Canadian grit" and that Canada has demonstrated resilience. "We can play and compete with the best CONCACAF players."Buchanan's goal, which was scored by Mexico's defense during the Gold Cup, ended a 417-minute streak without conceding. Canada almost lost the match in the second period, despite gaining control of the match quickly after the equalizer. After Daneon Parchment's VAR confirmation, Mark-Anthony Kaye rolled Jesus Corona to the penalty box and gave El Tri their second penalty kick.Despite Pineda's brilliant attempt in the first period, Carlos Salcedo, defender, took over the responsibility. Crepeau blocked the shot of the Tigres star, keeping the score at 1-1.Gerardo Martino, Mexico manager, said that the players make the final decision on the field. He explained why Salcedo received the penalty. Salcedo received all the support from his teammates as well as [the coaching staff]. He was confident enough to make the shot, and it was saved. Although it was pertinent to the game, I don't have any comment on the kick taker.Mexico defeated Canada to secure its place in final of the Gold Cup. Bob Levey/Getty ImagesSoon after Salcedo's mistake, it was the Mexico fans at Houston’s NRG Stadium who stole the spotlight for the wrong reasons. Although the FIFA sanctioned the Mexico FA last month and they were fined, Parchment decided to enforce CONCACAF’s anti-discrimination protocol. Parchment halted the game in the 88th minutes.Both teams were able to regroup for the final stretch without being stopped. This was a time when both sides had to be brutally tackled and managers made last-minute substitutions in an effort to win the game.Rodolfo pizarro almost put Mexico ahead with a header in the six yard box in stoppage, but then the striker -- a late arrival to Mexico's roster following Hirving Lozano’s injury in the group stages -- made a crucial pass to find Herrera at top of the 18 yard box in the final minutes.Martino stated in postmatch that "we had four clear chances to win after Canada tied it", which was more than enough for him to believe he deserved to win. "I would love for me to win every game for 90 minutes. But that's not possible."Herrera was able to smash the ball past Crepeau and score the winner. He ran towards the sidelines to embrace Dos Santios. Maria Herrera, Herrera's mother, died in March from complications caused by COVID-19. Atletico Madrid's midfielder for Atletico Madrid has formed a bond over his shared grief with him.Mexico will be facing the United States this weekend to win their ninth Gold Cup title, barely one month after their CONCACAF Nations League defeat of 3-2. El Tri, despite their poor start and lack of authority throughout the tournament so far, has managed to overcome all obstacles and is now able to take revenge on their rivals.
