Kemar Lawrence, Jamaica Beat Mexico to Earn Place in 2017 Gold Cup Final

Kemar Lawrence sent Jamaica into the 2017 Gold Cup final with his 88th-minute winner in a 1-0 victory over Mexico Sunday night in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Lawrence scored with a free kick into the top left corner after a foul by Mexico's Hugo Ayala. Fox Soccer shared a replay of the goal:

World soccer announcer Derek Rae praised Lawrence's technique on the shot:

With the win, Jamaica sets up a final against the United States Wednesday in Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Lawrence's goal was the difference between the two sides, but Jamaica wouldn't have been in a position to prevail were it not for a standout performance by goalkeeper Andre Blake.

The 26-year-old was particularly important for the Reggae Boyz in the 12th minute when he needed to pull off a double save on a pair of rapid-fire shots from Jesus Duenas and Erick Torres. Blake denied Torres again in the 25th minute, stopping a close-range header from the Houston Dynamo forward.

Naturally, Blake's big night was a topic of discussion on social media:

Jamaica was far from a one-man show, though. It may have only had 32 percent of possession but was very effective on the counterattack. Its five shots on target equaled Mexico, and Damion Lowe forced Jesus Corona to make an impressive save in the 78th minute to keep the game scoreless.

ESPN FC's Eric Gomez thought Corona spoiled the goodwill from that save with his inability to stop Lawrence's winning goal:

Even though Mexico was playing with its second-choice team in the Gold Cup, Sunday's defeat will likely lead to plenty of finger-pointing. El Tri defeated Jamaica 3-1 in the final of the 2015 edition, and ESPN Stats & Info noted they were unbeaten in their previous seven matches against Jamaica in the tournament.

Where Is Football's Maxi Rodriguez attempted to find the silver lining:

Jamaica will be a difficult opponent for the United States in Wednesday's final. The Reggae Boyz won the last Gold Cup encounter between the two countries, earning a 2-1 win despite being out-shot 20-10.

The United States was scoreless for the first 71 minutes of its semifinal clash with Costa Rica before Jozy Altidore broke the deadlock. A similarly frustrating night for the U.S. attack could prove far more troublesome against a Jamaica team that has shown how difficult it can be defensively when it's on its best night.