LAS VEGAS, Nevada.- After a tough, hard-fought 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup final between the United States and Mexico that went to extra time before finally being decided by late in the second extra time period by Miles Robinson’s thumping home a header off a Kellyn Acosta freekick, Mexico was left to reflect on a scoreline that was identical to the one in the Gold Cup final of 2019, but with the U.S. as winners this time.
“It’s not a catastrophe,” said Mexico coach Gerardo Martino after the game. “There are lessons to be learned, as in any game.”
Martino spoke about positives for El Tricolor, which had the majority of possession and chances in the contest. “We circulated the ball well,” Martino said. “We had one foul late in the game that led to the free kick of the U.S. winning goal.”
The defeat closes a summer in which Mexico were unable to overcome the U.S. in both the Concacaf Nations League Finals and now the Gold Cup. Still, the fact that Mexico had winnable moments in both of those games matters to Martino in the big picture.
“The players need to be in a position to win, even if it doesn’t always happen,” Martino said.
A key player in the match, Hector Herrera, echoed the coach’s position. “First of all, it’s sad, it hurts, what happened today,” said the Mexico veteran. “But we’re calm because we did have many chances at a goal, though none came to a concrete end.”
Most importantly for Herrera and company is to turn the page and look ahead to the start of the Final Round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022.
“We knew they could hurt us on a set play and they did,” Herrera said. “We have to be steady and move on.”
