Bonnie Twitty
Despite not showing great football and suffering in the last minutes, the Mexican national team achieved an important 1-0 victory in their visit to Costa Rica, as they reached six points in the top eight of CONCACAF heading to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Mexico started well at the National Stadium and made their first move in the third minute only when Rogelio Funes Mori’s header went smoothly into the hand of goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Three minutes later, Carlos Rodriguez got a rebound, and when he hit the trigger his shot hit the defense with a corner kick.
The locals had their first choice in the 17th minute when Brian Ruiz fired from outside the area, but Guillermo Ochoa veered to a corner kick.
The clearest match for the national team came in the 20th minute, when Costa Rica missed the start, Andres Jards pressed and hit the ball at Funes Mori, who shot behind the penalty kick, but Navas managed to block a corner kick.
After a difficult intervention, Chivas striker Alexis Vega had to leave the field, and Urbelín Pineda came in in the 41st minute.
After 44 minutes of the first half, Andres Guardado received a kick inside the area, and American referee Ismail Al-Fateh did not hesitate to score a penalty kick. Pineda was responsible for its implementation and did it right, accusing Navas’ right center of putting the “Tricolors” in front.
The locals came close to equalizing in compensation time in the first half when David Guzman finished in a small area on a free kick, but the ball deflected off Ochoa’s goal, sending Brian Ruiz close to pushing it to the bottom of the goal. networks.
With Ticos going to equalize, the national team had spaces in the second half, but the players didn’t take advantage of that, failing in the last play.
The locals scratched out the equalizer in injury time when Keysher Fuller’s left-hand shot hit the post and the ball hit the post before the look of Ochoa, who had been left as a statue.
Still at 94 minutes the locals had another option, but a hub moved massively across the small area of the Mexican national team without two Costa Ricans being able to push it.
Now the national team will end their FIFA appointment with a visit to Panama on Wednesday, while Costa Rica will be chasing its first win by hosting Jamaica.
So they go in an octagonal shape
JJ JG JE JP DIF PTS
1. México 2 2 0 0 +2 6
2. Panamá 2 1 1 0 +3 4
3. Canadá 2 0 2 0 0 2
4. Honduras 2 0 2 0 0 2
5. Estados Unidos 2 0 2 0 0 2
6. El Salvador 2 0 2 0 0 2
7. Costa Rica 2 0 1 1 -1 1
8. Jamaica 2 0 0 2 -4 0
Laurence Malcom
