Funes Mori’s double spurs Mexico, T&T lose

DALLAS (AP):

Rogelio Funes Mori scored twice and Orbelín Pineda added a goal to lead defending champions Mexico over Guatemala 3-0 on Wednesday night in the Concacaf Gold Cup football action.

Funes Mori, a 30-year-old born in Argentina, scored his second and third goals for Mexico. He made his debut in a June 3 exhibition against Nigeria and was playing his third international match.

Mexico had opened Group A with a 0-0 draw against Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala lost to El Salvador 2-0. Mexico close the group stage against El Salvador on Sunday in Dallas.

In a match delayed by a storm, Funes Mori put El Tri ahead in the 29th minute, chesting a lofted pass from Héctor Herrera just inside the penalty area, cutting the ball back to his right foot and beating goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen from 12 yards.

Funes Mori doubled the lead in the 55th with a right-footed shot from eight yards off a cross from Pineda; and Pineda added a goal on a six-yard leaping header in the 79th from a Luis Rodríguez cross.

At Frisco, Texas, El Salvador (2-0) assured themselves a quarter-finals berth with a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago on goals by Jairo Henriquez in the 30th minute and Walmer Martínez in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. The Soca Warriors have a draw and a loss going into tomorrow’s game against Guatemala in Frisco.

Group A Point Standings

Teams P W D L Pts GD

El Salvador 2 2 0 0 6 4

Mexico 2 1 1 0 4 3

T&T 2 0 1 1 1 -2

Guatemala 2 0 0 2 0 -5