Mexico overcomes slow start to defeat Dominican Republic 3-2 in CONCACAF Gold Cup opener

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Defending champion Mexico overcame a slow start to defeat the Dominican Republic 3-2 on Saturday night in the CONCACAF Gold Cup opener.

West Ham midfielder Edson Álvarez opened the scoring in the 44th minute, Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez added a goal in the 47th and defender César Montes got another one in the 53rd.

Jiménez is third on the Mexican career scoring list with 40 goals, trailing only Jared Borgetti’s 46 and Javier Hernández’s 52.

“It was a good win to start with. I congratulate my team, who maintained their emotional balance. It was a hard-fought, but fair victory,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. “Our rival did a lot of merit, they demanded us, they did a good job.”

Costa Rica and Suriname, the other countries in Group A, play Sunday in San Diego.

“We were patient, we scored three goals and it was an attractive match for the fans, although there are things that need to be corrected,” Aguirre added.

Peter González scored in the 51st minute and Edison Ascona in the 67th for the Dominicans, who earned their first qualification as one of the four group winners in League B of the CONCACAF Nations League.

The match at SoFi Stadium drew 54,309, most of them rooting for Mexico.

There was uncertainty on how many Mexican fans would attend the match. On Friday, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum urged U.S. officials not to target individuals attending the game.

Dozens of workers have been detained by federal immigration authorities in a series of raids in LA’s fashion district and at Home Depot parking lots in Southern California. More than 100 people have been detained.

Mexico can clinch a quarterfinal berth when it plays Suriname on Wednesday at Arlington, Texas, part of a doubleheader that includes the Dominican Republic facing Costa Rica.

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