Mexico wins Concacaf Nations League title thanks to Jiménez, gifted PK

New York Times

24-03-2025

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Mexico signaled its return to the top of Concacaf Sunday night, beating Panama 2-1 behind two goals from Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez to claim its first Nations League title. The winner came on a stoppage-time penalty, with Panama defender José Córdoba gifting the spot kick to Mexico by diving in his own box with his arm outstretched, making clear contact with a ball that was headed out of play.
Advertisement
Jiménez, 33, opened the scoring in the eighth minute after meeting a sailing cross at the back post and easily heading the ball home. Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera grossly misjudged the flight of the ball, missing Roberto Alvarado's cross completely.
At that moment, it felt like Mexico would run away with the result in front of a loud pro-Mexico crowd. A reported 68,212 attended the final on Sunday. Yet Panama didn't lose its focus after conceding so early. For a team that is comfortable defending in a low block, it quickly adjusted, pushing numbers forward in search of the equalizer.
Mexico continued to create chances but solid defending from the Panamanian back line kept the favorites at bay. In the 41st minute, Panama striker Cecilio Waterman, the hero against the U.S. in the semifinal, went down inside the Mexico penalty area following a Panama corner kick.
After a video assistant referee review, Panama was awarded a penalty. Adalberto Carrasquilla calmly scored from the spot to even the score at 1-1 in first-half stoppage time. Panama was first to appear onto the pitch after the halftime break, looking spirited and hungry for the second half. It became a physical and choppy encounter in the final 45 minutes.
Few chances were created but there were plenty of hard tackles from both sides. A frustrated Mexico fanbase was warned in the 81st minute after sectors of the partisan crowd defied Concacaf's anti-discriminatory protocol with a homophobic fan chant. The referee stopped the match two minutes later when the chant continued.
Things calmed down until the 89th minute, when Mexico was awarded a spot kick after the blatant handball from Córdoba inside his own penalty area. Jiménez, whose first goal in the match put him fourth all-time on Mexico national scoring list, converted after several stutter steps. Beer cups flew throughout SoFi Stadium as Jiménez stood tall at the penalty spot admiring the bedlam.
Raúl Jiménez comes up clutch from the PK spot 🇲🇽
Mexico are crowned Concacaf Nations League champions for the first time in their history 🏆 pic.twitter.com/JeyzxZ9c4g
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) March 24, 2025
It was a cruel ending for Panama. The underdog Canaleros had played a valiant match in hostile territory. Córdoba's decision to handle the ball unnecessarily spoiled their efforts and prevented Panama from celebrating their first continental title.
For Mexico, an in-form and inspired Jiménez is certainly something to celebrate. Jiménez struggled to fully recover from a serious head injury that he suffered while playing for Wolverhampton in 2020. He did not play for nine months, which put his professional career in doubt.
Advertisement
Five years later, he's once again Mexico's main man, a triumphant return for one of Mexico's most beloved players. And Mexico is once again Concacaf's top squad, lifting the Nations League trophy after a pair of runner-up showings sandwiched a third-place finish. As fellow 2026 World Cup cohosts Canada and the U.S. stumbled, El Tri seized the moment.