Mexico needed a win but ended up with a defeat in the Concacaf Women's Championship, ending its hopes of making the 2019 Women's World Cup in France at the group stage.
Panama topped El Tri 2-0 in the teams' final Group A match to lock up second place in the group behind the United States. Panama now has three opportunities to qualify for its first-ever World Cup appearance, with a win in the semifinal, the third-place game or a playoff against Argentina all good enough to send the Central Americans through.
The match hinged on a pair of incidents sandwiched around halftime.