ATLANTA, Georgia – In a hot-tempered affair on Wednesday night where tensions reached fever pitch, Mexico defeated Panama 2-1 in the second semi-final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup to set a showdown with Jamaica in the final.

The final will be held in Philadelphia on Sunday.

Mexico got both goals from the penalty spot courtesy of kicks by captain Andres Guardado in the 90th minute and the 14th minute of extra time.

Panama had taken the lead in the 57th minute with a goal from skipper Roman Torres.

But when it appeared 10-man Panama were heading for a victory, referee Mark Geiger awarded a dubious penalty, and all hell broke loose at the Georgia Dome.

Angry Panama players descended on the referee in a threatening manner, and opposing players had a bust-up. Panamanian fans then rained water bottles in the direction of the Mexico bench.

As a result, the game was held up for about 10 minutes before the penalty was taken, which forced the game into extra time.

Meanwhile, Jamaica had earlier secured a historic spot in the final, defeating defending champions USA 2-1.

Sean Williams