Edson Álvarez’s second-half header gave Mexico a 2-1 win over the United States and a 10th Concacaf Gold Cup title in a frenetic final at Houston’s NRG Stadium on Sunday night.
Chris Richards opened the scoring for the U.S. in the 4th minute with a brilliant header that deflected off the crossbar and just made it over the goal line, but Raúl Jiménez tied it up before halftime with a clinical left-footed finish past U.S. keeper Matthew Freese into the upper left corner.
After his goal, Jiménez paid tribute to Diogo Jota, his former teammate at Wolverhampton Wanderers who was killed along with his brother André Silva in a car crash Thursday.
With Mexico dominating possession and chances, Álvarez got on the end of a set piece and flicked the ball past Freese for the 2-1 lead. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but after a video review the goal was given, sending the majority Mexico crowd into a frenzy.
“It’s a massive lesson for us, I think it’s priceless,” Pochettino said after the match. “I think it was an amazing tournament to realize in the way that we wanted to grow … [but it’s also] a night that is a very, very painful night, because when you lose a trophy, or you lose a game, it’s really, really painful.
“But the most important thing is to have our heads up.”
