The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
081016
Mexico Overcome Much-Improved All Whites
by Jeremy Ruane
New Zealand's All Whites gave Mexico a real hurry-up in front of 40,287 fans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on 8 October, with the CONCACAF team prevailing 2-1 in a well-contested international friendly.
The Mexicans enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, and their early pressure nearly paid dividends when Clayton Lewis under-hit a back-pass in the ninth minute. Thankfully for Anthony Hudson's team, Themi Tzimopoulos was on hand to avert the danger with Oribe Peralta in close attendance.
The All Whites responded in sensational fashion, seven minutes later. A clearance cannoned off Chris Wood and fell kindly for Marco Rojas, who brilliantly slalomed his way through three Mexican challenges into the penalty area, only to see his shot blocked to safety by the legs of Jesus Corona.
This roused the Mexicans into another burst of attacking play, with Jesus Duenas' break and cross from the left forcing Deklan Wynne to block the efforts of Hirving Lozano to break the deadlock in the eighteenth minute.
Seven minutes later, the pair clashed again, and this time the Mexican was the beneficiary, with Wynne adjudged to have clipped Lozano inside the penalty area, even though the contact between the two appeared to be negligible at most.
It was enough to earn Mexico a penalty, and captain Giovani Dos Santos duly despatched it past Stefan Marinovic, who had largely been a spectator to this point in the match, a measure of the All Whites' great pressing game and generally strong performance to this point in the contest.
That 29th minute setback was swiftly responded to by the Kiwi team, and they would have been on level terms just two minutes later had Costa Barbarouses not strayed offside seconds before stroking the ball home.
It was a reminder to Mexico that, despite being in the lead, their lowly-ranked opponents were not to be underestimated. Lozano looked to press home his country's advantage soon afterwards, getting inside Wynne to get on the end of a cross from Jordan Silva, one of three debutants in 'Los Tricolors'' starting line-up.
He was unable to capitalise on the opportunity, however, nor was Duenas eight minutes before half-time, his raid culminating in some scrambling defensive work by Michael Boxall which prevented the scoreline from changing again.
Right on the stroke of half-time, Mexico came close to doubling their advantage when the impressively performed Lovano made more in-roads down the right before firing a low cross across the bows of both Peralta and Dos Santos. Jesus Gallardo, following in, saw his first attempt blocked, then sent his second soaring over the bar as the half came to a close.
The second spell was less than a minute old when the All Whites levelled the scores. Wood spread play wide to Wynne, who was dashing up in support as the visitors attacked from the kick-off.
The fullback delivered a beautifully angled cross in behind the defence, and perfectly into the stride of Rojas, who gleefully stabbed home from close range
|
with Barbarouses on his shoulder - 1-1.
That gave the All Whites a significant boost, and they went close to taking the lead four minutes later. Boxall's long throw-in was flicked on by Barbarouses towards Wood, only for Silva to intervene. The defender, however, directed his header towards his own goal, but Corona was perfectly placed to prevent the debutant from suffering that ignominy.
Five minutes later, Barbarouses scampered away on the left before picking out Lewis, dashing through from midfield, on the edge of the penalty area. He cleverly evaded one defender, but Hugo Ayala didn't stand on ceremony, and in clearing the danger, sparked a Mexican counter-attack.
It culminated in delight for their fans, as they saw Mexico regain the lead. Peralta roamed down the left before whipping a cross into the middle, near the edge of the penalty area. Dos Santos dummied it, knowing that Marco Fabian was lurking behind him.
Fabian duly slipped a pass into Dos Santos' stride, and the captain got to the by-line before steering the ball back into the stride of his fellow striker, who fair battered the ball home from ten yards to restore Mexico's advantage.
That was something they soon looked to build upon. A slick 63rd minute move, featuring Silva and Dos Santos, culminated in Peralta drilling a twenty-yarder at Marinovic, who was relieved to see a twenty-five yarder from Dos Santos flash past his right-hand post two minutes later.
The All Whites' response came via a free-kick. Winston Reid picked out Wood, who headed the ball down to Lewis. His lay-off allowed Michael McGlinchey to let rip, and his deflected twenty-five yarder skimmed narrowly past Corona's right-hand post.
Back came Mexico, Duenas going close from twenty-five yards before Marinovic was forced to save at the feet of substitute Alan Pulido as the CONCACAF nation finished strongly via a sustained spell of attack.
2-1 it remained, however, although the All Whites nearly stunned their hosts in stoppage time. McGlinchey played the ball forward towards Wood and substitute Rory Fallon, and from their combined intervention the ball dropped kindly for another of the All Whites' six substitutes, Monty Patterson.
He hit a screamer on the volley from the edge of the penalty area which had 'goal' written all over it, until Silva took one for the team by blocking the effort and ensuring that Mexico would prevail in this well-contested tussle against the FIFA Confederations Cup Finals contenders, whose performance was - thankfully - far superior to anything the All Whites produced in qualifying for that tournament.
Mexico: Corona; Duenas, Ayala, Marin, Gallardo (Brizuella, 61); Lozano, Molina, Fabian (Pineda, 73), Silva; Dos Santos, Peralta (Pulido, 66)
All Whites: Marinovic; Reid, Tzimopoulos (Durante, 84), Boxall; Graham (Fallon, 88), Lewis (Dyer, 70), McGlinchey, Wynne (Colvey, 70); Barbarouses (Patterson, 58), Wood, Rojas (Ridenton, 78)
|