Cesar Montes stars as Mexico beat Suriname 2-0 to enter Gold Cup knockout round

Defender Cesar Montes scored twice in six minutes as defending champions Mexico overcame a sluggish start to defeat Suriname 2-0 on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas, clinching a spot in the CONCACAF Gold Cup knockout stage.

Montes broke the deadlock in the 57th minute with a header from a corner, then doubled the lead in the 63rd, securing Mexico's second win of the tournament following their 3-2 victory over the Dominican Republic.



The 28-year-old center-back now leads the tournament in scoring with three goals, tied with Costa Rica’s Manfred Ugalde. Remarkably, Montes had scored just once in his previous 53 international appearances - a friendly against Panama in June 2021.


With the win, Mexico top Group A with six points and will face Costa Rica on Sunday in Las Vegas, needing only a draw to finish first.

The Costa Ricans also advanced to the knockout stage after beating the Dominican Republic 2-1 earlier in the day.

Suriname and the Dominican Republic have been knocked out from the tournament. Suriname will look to end their campaign on a high when they face the Dominican Republic next.