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CARSON, California - Erick Torres scored in the first minute of injury time and gave Mexico a 1-0 victory over Panama on Tuesday to send El Tri to the semifinals of CONCACAF Olympic qualifying with a third straight win.
Mexico finished atop Group B and will play Group A runner-up Canada in Saturday's knockout round in Kansas City, Kansas, while Honduras will face El Salvador. Only the winners will qualify for the London Olympics in July-August.
After outscoring Trinidad & Tobago and Honduras 10-1 in its previous two games, Mexico struggled to create quality chances.
It finally prevailed when Javier Cortes curled a cross from the right side that Jeronimo Amione volleyed into the path of Torres, who tapped it in for an easy goal.
"Panama was an organized team that stood and defended well," Mexico coach Luis Fernando Tena said. "Fortunately, we were able to score and give our people something to celebrate about."
Torres was one of four players Mexico manager Luis Fernando Tena used that previously had not played in the tournament. Mexico was all but mathematically assured of the Group B title prior to kickoff, and both teams were playing their third match in five days.
"It was the first time these players played together," Tena said. "Panama was a good challenge for them. There were a lot of factors that contributed to that."
Panama, which had been eliminated with Honduras' 2-0 win over Trinidad in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader, enjoyed some significant possession and chances, including two within a minute that Mexico keeper Liborio Sanchez had to tip over the bar in the 15th minute.
First, he had to deflect high Rolando Algandona's free kick from 30 meters and then had to do the same to Anibal Godoy's volley of a corner kick from the middle of the penalty area.
At the other end, Panama keeper Luis Mejia twice came off his line to punch away dangerous balls into the box by Cortes in the 21st and Javier Aquino in the 37th.
He also had to come off his line to thwart Cortes in the 41st and then swatted the ball away from Amione immediately after.
"We almost played a perfect game tactically," Panama coach Julio Dely Valdes said. "But I think there was a handball that the ref didn't see early in the game. That could have influenced the final outcome. But I think we played well tactically. It was an even game. They scored late and they won, but I'm happy with what my team did."
Apparently unsatisfied with Mexico's offense, Tena replaced for David Cabrera with Marco Fabian in the 62nd minute after inserting Israel Jimenez and Darvin Chavez to start the second half.
Panama still managed to frustrate the Mexicans, who had slightly more possession after Fabian's entrance but did not create much danger until Torres' goal.
The victory extended Mexico's perfect record to five victories in as many meetings against Panama in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, last allowing a goal in a 5-1 win in 1964.
Panama finished with a second loss and only one point, the first time in the past three Olympic qualifying finals it had failed to win a match.
Los Canaleros flirted with becoming the first team since Honduras in 2000 to hold Mexico without a goal in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, a streak of 12 matches.
