Costa Rica won the battle for the top of Group C, downing Jamaica thanks to a goal from Bryan Ruiz. Qatar proved to be the shock of the tournament so far, winning Group D with a win over Honduras.
Panama failed to progress to the knockout stages, but earned some consolation with a 3-1 win over Grenada and a third-place finish in Group C.
That concludes the group stage in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. Jamaica and Costa Rica enter the knockout stages looking to challenge the top contenders United States and Mexico.
Qatar will set its sights on surprising even more people as it faces El Salvador in the quarterfinal. Honduras made it through despite the loss to Qatar.
Look back on Tuesday night’s Gold Cup action here.
Costa Rica 1, Jamaica 0
(Bryan Ruiz 53′)
Costa Rica came into this Gold Cup with a lot to prove. Los Ticos have risen to the occasion so far.
Bryan Ruiz scored early in the second half, rising to meet a pinpoint cross from Houston Dynamo’s Ariel Lassiter. Costa Rica squeaked past a much more attacking Jamaica side with a 1-0 win.
COSTA RICA GETS ON THE BOARD 🙌
Costa Rica leads Jamaica 1-0 🇨🇷 pic.twitter.com/9uIgc3Lnx2
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 21, 2021
Costa Rica sweated out the finish to the match. Goalkeeper Leonel Moreira was sent off after committing a handball outside the penalty box.
Jamaica overwhelmed Costa Rica with shots, but Los Ticos soaked up the pressure. Jamaica finished with 18 shots, 56 percent possession and five shots on goal.
Suriname 2, Guadeloupe 1
(Gleofilo Vlijter 14′, Nigel Hasselbaink 79′ – Matthias Phaeton 20)
Suriname earned its first ever Gold Cup win. But Suriname also exits this Gold Cup with a third-place finish in Group C.
Nigel Hasselbaink scored late to hand Suriname the victory with this excellent run and finish.
Nigel Hasselbaink 💪
Suriname takes a 2-1 lead! 🇸🇷 pic.twitter.com/kQGUOJiDpw
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 21, 2021
Guadeloupe went down a man in the 29th minute, allowing Suriname to dominate possession and dictate the match the rest of the way. The game had an ugly finish as another Guadeloupe player was sent off in stoppage time and a skirmish between opposing players followed.
Qatar 2, Honduras 0
(Homam Ahmed 25′, Abdulaziz Hatim 90+4′)
Qatar continues to astound at the Gold Cup. The guest nation beat Honduras, a squad filled with veterans and picked by some to be a potential dark horse.
Homam Ahmed gave Qatar the lead in the first half with a fantastic finish from a tight angle.
Qatar breaks through first! 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/MNNozKz6KI
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 21, 2021
Honduras is set to face Mexico in the quarterfinal, while Qatar will take on El Salvador.
Panama 3, Grenada 1
(Alberto Quintero 7′, Jose Rodriguez 27′, 64′) – (Roma Frank 74′)
Neither team had an opportunity to make the knockout rounds in this matchup, but Panama showed its dominance over Grenada, which is playing in its first Gold Cup since 2011.
Alaves forward Jose Rodriguez scored two goals to hand Panama a 3-0 advantage. Roma Frank scored Grenada’s only goal of the tournament in the 74th minute.
