A few really bad minutes from Anibal Godoy resulted in his team’s elimination from the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
A yellow card, followed by an own goal on the ensuing free kick in the 77th minute, gifted Costa Rica a 1-0 win over Panama in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The win propels the Ticos to the Gold Cup semifinals for the first time since 2009.
Anibal Godoy Own Goal Condemns Panama to Defeat in Gold Cup Quarters
Lineups
Both teams starting XIs featured four players apiece who ply their trade club-wise in Major League Soccer.
For Costa Rica, defender Kendall Waston made his first start of the tournament and joined Francisco Calvo on the back line. Other MLSers starting for Costa Rica included midfielder David Guzman and forward Marco Ureña. In Panama’s case, defender Michael Murillo along with midfielders Armando Cooper, Anibal Godoy and Miguel Camargo comprised the MLS players getting a start.
The Ticos reverted to their five-man back line after playing more of a 4-4-2 in Friday’s 3-0 win over French Guiana. The formation morphs into three at the back in buildup with the two outside backs pushing forward. Panama played in more of a 4-1-4-1 after primarily operating in a 4-4-2 during all three of their group games.
First Half
The two sides were fairly even in possession over the first 45, with Panama owning a slight edge. And they did a much better job with their opportunities in the final third. Despite not scoring, they fired five shots on goal with three of them forcing a save out of Costa Rica goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton.
Costa Rica, on the other hand, didn’t exhibit very much cohesion with the ball. Too often, their lines experienced an inability to connect with one another, especially in attack. It showed in the fact that the Ticos only shot came via Bryan Ruiz in the 44th minute.
The biggest example of Costa Rica’s struggles near their opponent’s goal came in first half stoppage time. After Panama committed a foul just outside the box, they found themselves with a set piece opportunity. But nothing of substance came from the ensuing training ground play as Panama easily blocked Ruiz’s eventual shot.
Second Half
Despite those issues, the favored Ticos came out with renewed vigor at the start of the second half. The first ten minutes saw them open up Panama’s defense multiple times. In particular, three shots in the span of three minutes all forced a save out of Jose Calderón.
Slightly after the second stanza’s midway point, it was Panama’s turn to push forward in search of a game winner. In the 73rd minute, both Gabriel Torres and second half sub Abdiel Arroyo forced Pemberton to make two quick saves to keep things scoreless. It included a diving denial of Torres’ effort.
A few minutes later, Godoy took down Ruiz with a rather rash challenge that resulted in a caution from referee Oscar Moncada. It meant that he’d miss the semifinals due to yellow card accumulation if Panama advanced. But on the ensuing free kick, another mistake by Godoy ensured that outcome wouldn’t happen.
As the ball sailed into the box, Godoy headed it upwards in an attempt to clear. But instead of putting the ball out of danger, it trickled past Calderon and into his own net. That 77th minute own goal was all the Ticos needed to advance to the Gold Cup final four.
Costa Rica now awaits the winner of the second match of Wednesday’s Gold Cup doubleheader in Philadelphia between the United States and El Salvador. The match takes place this coming Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX with kickoff set for 10 PM ET.
