Gold Cup 2017: Costa Rica Beats Honduras, Canada over French Guiana on Friday

The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup got underway Friday with the opening fixtures in Group A from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

Two-time tournament champion Canada kicked off the event against French Guiana, which is making its Gold Cup debut. World Cup hopefuls Costa Rica and Honduras followed in the nightcap with the marquee matchup in Pool A.

Let's take a look at the complete schedule for Day 1. That's followed by a review of the action.

Friday's Schedule

Canada 4, French Guiana 2

Costa Rica 1, Honduras 0

Key Information (via GoldCup.org)

Updated Group Tables

Complete Event Schedule

Canada 4, French Guiana 2

Dejan Jakovic opened the scoring for Canada in the 28th minute and the Canucks held off a late rally from an upstart French Guiana side to earn all three points.

Jakovic, who currently suits up for the New York Cosmos and previously played in MLS with D.C. United, took advantage of some lackluster set-piece defending just before the half-hour mark. The defender found some free space to touch home a cross from just a few yards out.

Fox Soccer highlighted the 2017 Gold Cup's first goal:

Scott Arfield made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time and 16-year-old rising star Alphonso Davies stretched the lead to three for the Canadians in the 60th minute.

Then, almost out of nowhere, French Guiana made a sudden surge to make a mostly one-sided match competitive again for the final 20 minutes.

Roy Contout tallied the Yana Dokos' first Gold Cup goal in the 69th minute off an assist from Anthony Soubervie. He headed home a perfectly lofted corner for his third international goal.

Sloan Privat found the net again for French Guiana one minute later to get the underdogs right back in the match after struggling to generate any attacking chances for most of the game.

Caribbean Football‏ commented on the surprising turn of events:

Alas, Davies made sure there wouldn't be a storybook ending for the French Guianans by netting his second goal of the match in the 85th minute to relieve the pressure for Canada.

Vancouver Whitecaps teammate David Edgar joked about the teenager's standout performance:

Group A will return to action Tuesday for its next pair of fixtures. Canada will look to punch its ticket to the knockout rounds against Costa Rica. Meanwhile, French Guiana must attempt to build off its more promising final 30 minutes when it takes on Honduras.

Costa Rica 1, Honduras 0

Marco Urena converted a volley on a sublime cross from Rodney Wallace shortly before halftime to give Costa Rica a lead it would never relinquish Friday evening.

As expected, it was a tightly contested encounter between two sides still alive in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. All it took was one moment of attacking brilliance from the Ticos to shift the result in their favor.

Fox Soccer spotlighted the only goal of the match in the 40th minute:

The Catrachos controlled the pace of play in the second half. They held 67 percent of possession and generated seven shots compared to three for Costa Rica. The finishing touch they needed to at least get back level never arrived, however.

Gold Cup 2017 passed along complete match highlights:

Getting the victory gives the Ticos a little extra breathing room heading into their final two matches, starting with the Canada clash Tuesday.

On the flip side, Honduras must be careful against a group from French Guiana that should possess some added confidence after a competitive showing against the Canucks.