Mexico commenced their CONCACAF Gold Cup 2025 title defense with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over tournament debutants, the Dominican Republic, in a thrilling encounter at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The match, which took place on Saturday, June 14, 2025, saw Mexico, the defending champions and nine-time Gold Cup winners, pushed to their limits by a spirited Dominican side.
Despite being heavy underdogs, the Dominican Republic proved to be a formidable opponent, creating several dangerous opportunities in the first half. Mexico, however, managed to break the deadlock just before halftime, with Edson Álvarez scoring a powerful header from a corner kick in the 44th minute. This was Álvarez's sixth goal for the national team.
Mexico came out strong in the second half, and Raúl Jiménez doubled their lead just two minutes after the restart. Jiménez, who plays for Fulham, finished off a well-executed team move initiated by Santiago Giménez. This goal marked Jiménez's 40th for the Mexican national team, bringing him closer to Jared Borgetti, who holds the second-place spot on Mexico's all-time scoring list with 46 goals. Javier Hernández leads the chart with 52 goals.
Just when it seemed like Mexico was cruising to a comfortable victory, Peter González scored the Dominican Republic's first-ever Gold Cup goal in the 51st minute, with a well-placed shot that beat Mexican goalkeeper Luis Ángel Malagón. However, Mexico responded immediately, with Álvarez once again involved. His header in the 53rd minute deflected off César Montes and into the net, restoring Mexico's two-goal advantage.
The Dominican Republic refused to give up, and Edison Azcona scored in the 67th minute, reducing the deficit to one and putting Mexico under pressure once more. Azcona's effort deflected off Álvarez and found the back of the net. Mexico's defense, which had been under scrutiny after conceding four goals to Switzerland and losing narrowly to Turkey in recent friendlies, looked vulnerable again.
Despite the late pressure from the Dominican Republic, Mexico managed to hold on for the 3-2 victory. West Ham midfielder Álvarez was a standout performer for Mexico, not only scoring the opening goal but also contributing to the third goal.
With this win, Mexico tops Group A with three points. The match was played before a crowd of 54,309 fans, most of whom were rooting for Mexico. Mexico will seek to solidify their position in the group when they face Suriname next Wednesday, while the Dominican Republic will aim to bounce back against Costa Rica. Both matches will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Mexico, who won the CONCACAF Nations League final against Panama in March, came into the tournament in good form. The Dominican Republic, on the other hand, had been on a hot streak of its own, scoring five goals in its last match against Dominica.
