Group C at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup is the only pairing that doesn’t feature one of the North American heavyweights, which means the knockout spots from here could really go to anyone. Costa Rica and Panama will be the favorites but El Salvador and Martinique have the element of surprise on their side. Here’s a look at the standings, schedule and results from Group C.
Group C Standings
Panama, 2-1-0, 7 points
Costa Rica, 1-1-1, 4 points
Martinique, 1-0-2, 3 points
El Salvador, 0-2-1, 2 points
Group C Schedule and Results
Monday, June 26
Martinique 2, El Salvador 1
We’ve got our first major shocker of the Gold Cup with Martinique taking three points off El Salvador with two goals in the first half of this one. Despite going down to 10 men in the second half, the Caribbean nation was able to hold off the Central American side. There was a late penalty in stoppage time to put El Salvador on the board but it was too little too late.
Panama 2, Costa Rica 1
This was a dominant performance from Panama offensively. Panama put 10 shots on target and had 61% of the possession in this contest, simply overwhelming Costa Rica. Jose Fajardo and Edgar Barcenas got goals for Panama, who held on for the win despite a late scare from Costa Rica after Aaron Suarez’s goal in stoppage time.
Friday, June 30
Panama 2, Martinique 1
There was late goal in stoppage time from Martinique which might help the team if there are tiebreakers, but this was all Panama. Jose Fajardo got the scoring going in the second half, and Panama’s defense held up until the very end in another strong effort. Panama have become the second team to qualify for the knockout round with the victory.
El Salvador 0, Costa Rica 0
Both teams kept their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage alive in this scoreless draw, but Costa Rica will be kicking themselves after having more possession and more shots in this game. Costa Rica only did manage one more shot on target than El Salvador, so ultimately there wasn’t much of a threat on goal from either side.
Tuesday, July 4
Costa Rica 6, Martinique 4
Panama 2, El Salvador 2
There was some sloppiness from Costa Rica late in the contest to give Martinique a few goals and trim the margin, but the win is enough to see the Central American side through to the knockout stage. Panama gave up a late goal to El Salvador to end up with a draw, but it doesn’t change where the team stands in terms of the group stage. Panama will still win the group and play Qatar, while Costa Rica goes on to face Mexico in the quarterfinal round.