Mexico Beats Panama 2-1 to Win CONCACAF Nations League Title

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Raْl Jiménez #9 of Mexico celebrates with his teammates with the winners trophy after defeating Panama following the CONCACAF Nations League final match at SoFi Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California.   Michael Owens/Getty Images/AFP
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Raْl Jiménez #9 of Mexico celebrates with his teammates with the winners trophy after defeating Panama following the CONCACAF Nations League final match at SoFi Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Michael Owens/Getty Images/AFP
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Mexico Beats Panama 2-1 to Win CONCACAF Nations League Title

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Raْl Jiménez #9 of Mexico celebrates with his teammates with the winners trophy after defeating Panama following the CONCACAF Nations League final match at SoFi Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California.   Michael Owens/Getty Images/AFP
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Raْl Jiménez #9 of Mexico celebrates with his teammates with the winners trophy after defeating Panama following the CONCACAF Nations League final match at SoFi Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Michael Owens/Getty Images/AFP

Raúl Jiménez scored his second goal on a penalty kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, and Mexico beat Panama 2-1 Sunday night to win the CONCACAF Nations League tournament for the first time.
Jiménez, the 33-year-old Fulham striker, dominated the week at SoFi Stadium with all four of Mexico's goals in El Tri's two matches, The Associated Press reported.
After he scored on a header in the eighth minute against Panama, he used a stutter-step approach before perfectly striking a penalty awarded when defender José Córdoba touched the ball with his inexplicably outstretched arm while chasing after it in the 90th minute.
“It’s fantastic to come back after what I’ve been through,” Jiménez said. “I’m really happy. This is just a great example that you never have to lose faith, and continue. You know what you’re capable to do.”
This remarkable tournament is only the latest chapter in the comeback story of Jiménez, who incurred a serious head injury while playing for Wolves in November 2020. After fracturing his skull in a collision with Arsenal's David Luiz, he survived a life-threatening brain bleed and returned to competition nine months later.
The US had won the first three editions of this tournament, which brings together the nations of North and Central America and the Caribbean. But with Jiménez in dominant form and veteran coach Javier Aguirre tweaking his formation to emphasize aggression, Mexico stepped up to claim another trophy in the stadium where it won the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, both times in front of vociferously pro-Mexico crowds.
“We are enjoying our game,” Jiménez said. “We are really happy. We knew since we arrived, since the (quarterfinals) against Honduras when we won our pass to the final four, we knew this game was going to be difficult, but we knew we had the quality. We know each other. We know how we can play better than the other teams, and that’s the key.”
Adalberto Carrasquilla scored on a penalty in first-half injury time for underdog Panama, which staged a dramatic 1-0 upset of the host US on Thursday night to reach the final.
The championship match was briefly suspended with 10 minutes left in regulation after a large portion of the raucous crowd of 68,212 repeatedly shouted the homophobic Spanish slur that is commonly used at Mexican matches both foreign and domestic despite several governing bodies’ attempts to eradicate it. The players took a water break while anti-slur messages appeared on the scoreboard and over the public address system.
Misbehavior aside, Mexico feels right at home in the Los Angeles Rams' palatial stadium — or anywhere in Southern California, where El Tri is invariably treated as the home team. Mexico also beat Panama here two years ago in the Gold Cup on Santi Giménez's late goal.
Jiménez played up front alongside Giménez in the Nations League semifinals and finals, with coach Javier Aguirre using an aggressive alignment to create offense. It worked splendidly thanks to Jiménez, who needed only a few minutes to get Mexico on top in the final.
“It was crazy,” Giménez said. “We didn’t train it, but we’re soccer players, and we know how to play in every formation. It’s an honor for me to play with Raúl, and it was a good result because we understand each other. I was more like a No. 10, but still was very good to play with him.”
After Roberto Alvarado put a long, beautiful cross into the box, Jiménez outmaneuvered a defender and bounced in a header that set off a raucous celebration at SoFi.
Panama dominated possession and generated more shot attempts in the first half, and it finally paid off when video review determined center back Johan Vásquez committed a foul in the Mexico penalty area shortly before halftime. Carrasquilla barely got his shot above goalkeeper Luis Malagón's trailing legs to tie it.



Case Closed but Doping Still in Focus as Sinner Nears End of Ban

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the final against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the final against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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Case Closed but Doping Still in Focus as Sinner Nears End of Ban

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the final against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the final against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

As Jannik Sinner nears the end of a three-month doping ban that shook the tennis world, players are flocking to anti-doping authorities seeking advice on how to avoid positive tests due to contamination.
The Italian agreed a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February and began an immediate three-month suspension after authorities accepted that the anabolic agent clostebol had entered his system via massages from his physiotherapist.
His case and that of Iga Swiatek left many players concerned about inadvertently being caught up in the doping net, and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said it will step up efforts to help them safely navigate the path ahead.
"We have seen an increase of players asking for advice and assistance since the high-profile cases, and we are working on ways to make that easier," the ITIA told Reuters.
"There are lots of resources that are available to assist with checking supplements and medications. If players, coaches and medical staff have questions, they can contact us.
"We are not trying to trip people up, our role is to protect the sport and maintain a level playing field."
While Sinner's case has led to heightened vigilance within the tennis fraternity, some players remain unhappy with how it was handled in the belief that the 23-year-old received favorable treatment.
Novak Djokovic expressed frustration earlier this year at being "kept in the dark" about the case, while the outspoken Nick Kyrgios said that it was "disgusting" for the sport.
American great Serena Williams reignited the debate ahead of Sinner's return in Rome next week, saying she would have received a 20-year ban and had her Grand Slam titles taken away had she tested positive in a similar manner.
The ITIA has remained firm that all its cases are dealt with based on facts and evidence and not a player's name, nationality or ranking.
BUILD MOMENTUM
Apart from his enforced period of idleness, Sinner has largely been unaffected by the uproar, winning the US Open last year before successfully defending his Australian Open title in January.
In Rome, the world number one will aim to leave the doping saga behind him and build momentum for the French Open in late May.
He is all but assured of remaining at the top of the world rankings until Roland Garros after Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz failed to exploit his absence during the claycourt swing, but he does not expect a smooth road on his return.
"It certainly won't be easy for me. The first games will be really difficult," Sinner said.
"Hopefully I'll be able to get back into the rhythm and then we'll see how it goes."
Spanish great Rafa Nadal believes Sinner should now be allowed to focus on his tennis, while acknowledging the case had not been positive for the sport.
"In the end, if I'm not mistaken, he came out of the ruling as innocent," Nadal told Britain's Daily Telegraph.
"But these things happen sometimes, accidents happen, and that's how I see this because I believe in Jannik. I'm convinced from what I know of Jannik that he never tried to cheat or get an advantage over the rest.
"I'm sure that Jannik is an innocent and moral person ... I believe in the ruling. Jannik has accepted these three months of sanction and so: case closed."