Mexico beat Jamaica to claim record seventh Gold Cup

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PHILADELPHIA: Mexico beat Jamaica 3-1 on Sunday’s Gold Cup final, hoisting a record seventh trophy and shrugging off any notion of a tainted title.

Mexican captain Andres Guardado scored in the 31st minute, Jesus Corona added another in the 47th and Oribe Peralta scored in the 61st as two defensive blunders by Michael Hector doomed Jamaica’s championship dream in the biennial North American regional football tournament.

“We’re very happy,” Mexico manager Miguel Herrera said. “We dominated the ball. We got the rhythm we wanted and controlled the play. It’s a great satisfaction for all of us.”

Jamaica, whose lone goal came from substitute Darren Mattocks in the 79th minute, settled for a runner-up finish after becoming the first Caribbean squad to reach the Gold Cup final, thanks to a 2-1 upset of the United States in the semi-finals.