Two goals on Wednesday from Rogelio Funes Mori helped Mexico get their CONCACAF Gold Cup title defense back on track with a 3-0 victory over Guatemala at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas.
Held to a goalless draw in their opener, Mexico bounced back on the same night that Group A rivals El Salvador became the first team into the quarter-finals with a win over Trinidad and Tobago.
Argentina-born striker Funes Mori in the 29th and 55th minutes, and Orbelin Pineda with a 79th-minute header, were plenty for Mexico, who face El Salvador on Sunday in a Group A showdown in the 16-nation championship for teams from North and Central America, and the Caribbean.
Photo: AP
It was a vindication for Funes Mori, the 30-year-old whose selection by Mexico manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino had sparked criticism from former coach Tuca Ferretti and former Mexico striker Luis Hernandez because of his Argentine roots.
In a match delayed more than half an hour by a thunderstorm, Funes Mori opened the scoring in spectacular style, falling on a long ball from Hector Herrera and eluding Guatemala defender Kervin Garcia as he turned to bend a shot past goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen for Mexico’s first goal of the tournament.
Funes Mori struck again in the second half with a precise finish off a pass from Pineda — who put the finishing touches on El Tri’s victory when he leaped to head home a cross from Luis Rodriguez.
Earlier in Frisco, Texas, goals from Jairo Henriquez and Walmer Martinez lifted El Salvador to a second straight victory to ensure they will move on from Group A.
Midfielder Henriquez opened the scoring on the half-hour mark with an outstanding solo effort, making a crisp turn and firing a shot from outside the area that skimmed the far post on its way into the net.
Trinidad and Tobago pressed for the equalizer in the second half, but could not find it and Martinez sealed the 2-0 result late in the game when he slotted in a rebound.
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Belgian partner Elise Mertens on Monday notched up their first win in the doubles group stage of the WTA Finals in Riyadh to keep their semi-final hopes alive, while Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russian partner Veronika Kudermetova were aiming to record their first victory after press time last night. Third seeds Hsieh and Mertens came back from a disheartening opening-day loss to Australia’s Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez to defeat top seeds Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the women’s doubles world No. 3 and 4 respectively. The 6-1, 6-3 victory at King Saud University Indoor Arena
Taiwan’s top table tennis player Lin Yun-ju made his debut in the US professional table tennis scene by taking on a new role as a team’s co-owner. On Wednesday, Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), founded in September last year, announced on its official Web site that Lin had become part of the ownership group of the Princeton Revolution, one of the league’s eight teams. MLTT chief executive officer Flint Lane described Lin’s investment as “another great milestone for table tennis in America,” saying that the league’s “commitment to growth and innovation is drawing attention from the best in the sport, and we’re
Coco Gauff of the US on Friday defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to set up a showdown with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the final of the WTA Finals, while in the doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching was eliminated. Gauff generated six break points to Belarusian Sabalenka’s four and built on early momentum in the opening set’s tiebreak that she carried through to the second set. She is the youngest player at 20 to make the final at the WTA Finals since Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Zheng earlier defeated Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 to book
Atalanta BC brought Serie A leaders SSC Napoli down to earth with a bump with a 3-0 victory on Sunday as Ademola Lookman grabbed two goals. Napoli were hoping to open up a substantial lead at the top before, but Atalanta stunned the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium as they decisively ended the home side’s unbeaten run that stretched back to Aug. 18. Inter then closed the gap with a 1-0 victory over Venezia to end the weekend just a point behind Napoli. Lookman pounced first in the 10th minute when Marten de Roon’s header fell for the London-born Nigerian international