Gold Cup: Costa Rica wins Group A, Canada and Honduras advance to knockout stage

Costa Rica finished atop Group A with a win over French Guiana at the 2017 Gold Cup, while Canada also advanced the the knockout stage after a draw against Honduras on Friday.

Ariel Rodriguez scored for Costa Rica just four minutes into a matchup against French Guiana, a goal that stood as the winner in a 3-0 victory in the opening round of the Gold Cup.

With the victory, Costa Rica finished atop Group A and qualified for the knockout stage, eliminating French Guiana in the process. 

Ludovic Baal’s red card for violent conduct in the 61st minute left French Guiana playing a man short, allowing Costa Rica to add a pair of late goals by Rodney Wallace and David Ramirez just four minutes apart that solidified the victory.

GOL Costa Rica, Ariel RODRÍGUEZ No. 9 | @FEDEFUTBOL_CR #FrenchGuiana #CopaOro2017 pic.twitter.com/pD5BYkBGlt

— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) July 14, 2017

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Canada finishes as the Group A runner-up following a goalless draw with Honduras, though both teams move on to the knockout round. Canadian keeper Milan Borjan stopped all five shots he faced, including several in the game's waning minutes, while counterpart Luis Lopez made a trio of saves. Honduras advances despite not scoring a single goal in three games.

Canada, making the quarterfinal for the first time since 2009, will play the Group C winner when the the final round of the tournament begins on July 19, while Honduras draws the Group B winner.