Mexico forward Santiago Gimenez piled praise on team-mate Raul Jimenez after his brace helped them qualify for the Concacaf Nations League final on Thursday.

Jimenez scored in the first and 75th minutes as Mexico beat Canada 2-0 at SoFi Stadium to set up a final against Panama, who had earlier beaten the USA 1-0.

Jimenez was, understandably, the toast of his team-mates after the performance.

“We were a team today,” said Giménez. “We were a family, and we’re very happy to be in the final. I think this cup, we’re coming to win it.”

“For me, it’s an honour to play with Raúl. I think he’s a great striker. I need to learn a lot [from] him. We have a special connection because we’re strikers that are doing well in the club. Of course, we haven’t played in the club with two strikers, but it was nice. I’m really happy.”

Having conceded from a set piece almost immediately, Canada were further incensed after being denied a penalty following what looked like a foul from Edson Alvarez on Derek Cornelius in the penalty area on nine minutes.

Screens in SoFi Stadium had signalled that VAR was looking at the decision at the same time the referee signalled for the game to restart.

“What I think is inexcusable...is that it’s not at least looked at by the head referee, right?” said Canada head coach Jesse Marsch. “First it’s called a foul in the other direction which is strange, because we clearly get contact first. For me, this is the definition of a penalty.”

FT. Our Concacaf Nations League continues with the 3rd place match on Sunday.

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MF. La Ligue des Nations de la Concacaf se poursuit avec un match pour la troisième place ce dimanche.#CANMNT pic.twitter.com/ZeJSq1fESs

— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) March 21, 2025

But despite defeat, Marsch was pleased with how well his team acquitted themselves against talented opposition.

“They really wanted to lift the trophy for the country. It was a knife in the heart to play well but then just short fall short. That disappointment is hard to shake.

“I thought that our guys really pushed the game. I thought we were organised. We were the aggressor. We were on top of many moments. I thought every guy gave a good performance, and it’s just one of those games where the bounces just don’t really go your way.”

Jimenez made the result comfortable for Mexico with 15 minutes to go, bending in a wonderful free kick from more than 30 yards out.

While Marsch was clearly disappointed to be on the losing side, he was able to see the bigger picture and seemed optimistic for the future.

"In so many ways it’s just another step where we’re continuing to show our quality, our organisation, our intelligence, and now it’s just a little bit of savvy, a little bit of intelligence that the best international teams have," he said.