Watch: Mexico Beats El Salvador 3-1 In CONCACAF Gold Cup Opener

Mexico handily defeated El Salvador 3-1 in its CONCACAF Gold Cup opening game in San Diego on Sunday.

Mexico El Salvador CONCACAF Gold Cup

Midfielder Elias Hernandez contributed a goal and two assists for El Tri, which was playing without head coach Juan Carlos Osorio. The Colombian sat in a suite at the Chargers’ former Qualcomm Stadium to serve the first game of a six-game suspension for arguing with an official in the Confederations Cup third-place game against Portugal on July 2, a matchup Mexico lost 2-1.

Defender Hedgardo Marin scored his first goal with Mexico on a header off Hernandez’s pinpointed free kick to give the team a 1-0 lead just eight minutes in. Marin jumped to head the ball into the top corner of goalkeeper Benji Villalobos’s far post.

El Salvador — which is ranked 103rd in the world by FIFA — tied it two minutes later on a breakaway from Nelson Bonilla.

Rodolfo Zelaya fed a through-ball to Bonilla, who slotted a ground shot from close range past onrushing goalie Jesus Corona. and just inside the far post.

Corono made a mistake shortly afterwards that nearly handed El Salvador another goal: his rollout to the middle of the field ended with a shot over his crossbar.

In the 29th minute, Hernandez made it 2-1 with a volley shot. The 29-year-old Leon midfielder — who joined Mexico’s national team in 2010 — took a lobbed cross from Jesus Gallardo from the right side and one-timed a hard, low shot past Villalobos.

Mexico’s final goal came in the 55th minute. Hernandez whipped a cross from the right after taking a long lob pass from Corona, but his initial target — forward Angel Sepulveda — was unable to connect by sliding in from directly in front of the goal. However, Orbelin Pineda kicked into a nearly-wide-open net from the left side as Villalobos raced out to make the save.

Pineda celebrated by performing two somersaults. By that point, the heavily pro-Mexico crowd of 53,133 was roaring.

With the victory, Mexico now leads Group C with three points. Jamaica is in second and also has three points after beating Curaçao 2-0 on Sunday. Should Osorio serve his full ban, he would miss all of El Tri’s Gold Cup contests even if his team reaches the final. If Mexico doesn’t advance to the title game, the coach could also miss one or more 2018 World Cup qualifiers in September and October.

Mexico — which has won three Gold Cups — next faces Jamaica in their second Group C game on Thursday in Denver at 10:30pm EST.

The United States Men’s National Team — which tied Panama 1-1 in Nashville on Saturday — next faces Martinique in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday at 9 pm EST. The USMNT is third in Group B with one point, while Martinique leads the four-team group following a 2-0 victory over Nicaragua on Saturday.

FOX Sports will air all games of the tournament, which the U.S. and Mexico are favored to win.

Article by Pablo Mena