Full time: Mexico 1-0 Paraguay
And that’s that. We had a rock and roll first-half with an early goal, furious attacking and some zingy fouls. The second-half descended into a series of substitutions, but Paraguay probably edged it. Mexico really looked like they could win it four- or five-nil in the early minutes but once Paraguay exerted themselves physically it was a much more equal game.
90 min: There will be three minutes of added time.
89 min: Chances! Hernandez looks like he will score after he’s quick to a rebound in the area but his shot is blocked. Ortiz then directs his header straight at the keeper at the other end of the pitch.
87 min: Paraguay put some nice passes together and win a throw, they elect to pass it back into their own half though and the attack fizzles out.
85 min: Guess what? A sub. Vazquez for Medina.
84 min: Hernandez wins a free-kick in a dangerous position. Dos Santos tries his luck but it doesn’t dip quite enough and Paraguay are still within striking distance of their opponents.
81 min: Rojas on for Moreira. Then we have some actual play as Rojas attempts to make his way up the pitch. This attempt is, shall we say, unsuccessful.
78 min: Jonathan Dos Santos is off for Agular while his brother, Giovanni, is on for Jimenez.
76 min: Ortiz has a go from 30-yards after a lay-off from Martinez. The ball skims in low but it’s wide of the goal. Martinez continues to be a threat for Paraguay.
73 min: Martinez has been excellent since coming on, stretching the Mexico defence and causing problems on set-pieces. He wins a free-kick and the ball goes all the way through to Meliton Hernandez, who holds on despite a kick from a Paraguay player.
70 min: Paraguay have definitely been the better side in the last 10 minutes. But Mexico are on the attack. Hernandez crosses but Jiminez can’t make clean contact with the ball. At the other end, Paraguay have a free-kick. Mexico have failed to defend well on high ball today. Same story again and Da Silva’s header is deflected out for a corner.
68 min: Good chance for Paraguay. A ball into the far post and a Paraguay boot connects with the ball and it takes a good save to deny them the equaliser.
65 min: Ahular gets a knock and Caceres comes on in his place. It’s mainly highlights of substitutions at the moment. An odd moment as the ball drops in the Mexico area and no player from either team bothers to go for it.
62 min: Paraguay sub: Perez is on for Balbuena.
59 min: Chance! Jiminez is played through and Silva rushes out to save with his legs, the rebound goes out to Herrera but the keeper saves the follow-up shot. Herrera is then subbed off for Hernandez, while Nilo comes off for Aldrete.
56 min: What’s this! A booking for Paraguay? That’s their fifth of the match: Oviedo this time. They’ve got a gameplan and they’re sticking to it. And doing it well.
53 min: Dos Santos pings the ball to Medina to run on to but it’s played with a touch too much pace and goes out for a throw in. The pitch is still showing some wear from the NFL season - not the greatest for passing football.
51 min: Aguilar heads over from a free-kick. Once again Mexico don’t bother to mark their man in the box. Samudio is on for Piris for Paraguay., and starts with a determined run that is stopped late.
48 min: ESPN has neglected to out a cloack on the TV this half, so I have no idea of the exact minute. I think maybe its the 98th. Guemes has a shot from distance and looks apologetic as it flies over. Ah! Someone put the clock back on. I was only 50 minutes out.
46 min: We’re back. And Sam Metta Bexar writes in with an important question: “OK, besides the odd fact you’ve the same name as a old grad school advisor (do you happen to like noir fiction?),” he writes. And it’s OK. “A pointed question: Herrera v Klinsmann... Lucha libre. Who are you betting on? I ask because they both come to my hometown April 15 to face 65,000 plus people, about 90% of whom will be pulling for Mexico. Klinsi might have to wrestle to win. PS, I’m taking Herrera to win.”
I’m with you on this one, Sam. Herrera has the bulk. As long as he takes Jurgen quickly, he’s an easy winner. Klinsi may outlast him if the fight goes on for a while, he looks teh fitter.
Electricity news: A brilliant moment as I blow the fuse. I attempt to plug my computer into the socket but make contact with the metal blind cord just as the plug enters the socket. The wireless, TV and lights all blow at once.It’s like being hit by a Paraguay defender. After a few minutes of flicking various switches we are back on. Although I am now somehow lacking an eyebrow.
Half-time: Mexico 1-0 Paraguay
45 min: Corner for Paraguay: their first of the game. Maybe this novelty is why Mexico stand and watch as Ortiz is allowed a free header that skims off the bar. He should have scored but Mexico shouldn’t have given him his chance. Then the ref blows for half-time perhaps relieved not to have to book anyone else.
44 min: Some action! That’s not a foul! A quick square ball into the Paraguay box from Dos Santos requires some swift intervention from Silva as Jiminez charges in. Dos Santos has been good tonight. Herrera then sends a header wide.
41 min: Hooray! A fourth booking for Paraguay. Piris this time for some kinf of unspeakable act on a Mexican shin. The Kansas City Chiefs would be proud of some of this stuff.
38 min: And now Guemez is booked for a dangerous lunge. This game is drowning in a sea of yellow at the moment: the referee seems to be enjoying it.
36 min: The ball comes to Dos Santos in the middle of the park. Me - and the crowd - expect him to shoot but he lays it off to a team-mate. This is patient stuff from Mexico. Perhaps they know they’ll get fouled soon enough. And they are: Aguilar clatters in and is booked. Free-kick to El Tri from around 30 yards out, a similar distance to the free-kick that set up the opening goal. Da Silva is then booked for some dark arts in the wall. Alanis’s free-kick scuttles to the left of the wall but doesn’t threaten the goal.
32 min: It’s been a while since I saw a game with so many fouls. Paraguay have certainly got a lot more physical since going down early on, and it’s working – Mexico have been much more subdued in the last five minutes.
30 min: Paraguay’s keeper, Villar, signals he needs to come off. He’ll be replaced by Silva.
27 min: Guemez provides Paraguay with some breathing space after he handballs in midfield. Romero’s punt forward is met powerfully by Balbuena but it’s well wide of the goal.
25 min: Jiminez is hacked down after some swift passing from Mexico. It’s taken around 40 yards out. Paraguay clear with their heads (OK, one of their heads) and the ball bounces out to Dos Santos, who blasts in nowhere useful.
22 min: A scare for Hernandez as he comes our to claim a cross, which he drops. The referee says he was fouled though, and Mexico have the free-kick.
20 min: We have a man down injured.Reyes goes up for a header, climbing brilliantly, but comes down hard on his back. I think he won the header though. Anyway, he’s back up now.
17 min: Mexico’s passing is dazzingly fast at time, certainly too quick for the Paraguay defence. El Tri lack the killer ball so far but it doesn’t feel like we have too long to wait before another good chance.
15 min: This isn’t being played at a friendly rate, both sides charging around the pitch. Not surprising given there are young players aiming to impress their coaches. Just as I say that, Paraguay pass it between their centre-backs 10 times. That will up their possession stats. Good for the confidence, I like it.
12 min: Paraguay finally decide to take a few breaths and calm themselves down. They make their way up the field but Aguilar gets excited at making it into the Mexico half and is warned after a studs-up tackle.
9 min: A terrible clearance from the keeper goes straight to Mexico. Ortiz clatters Dos Santos and is immediately booked. Paraguay, as you may have gathered, are a little rattled.
8 min: Thoughts on that opening goal:
@tom_lutz Chow Yun-fat demands royalties on that goal.
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) April 1, 2015
6 min: Herrera then has the ball in the net again, taking his international strike rate to 84 goals a game but it’s offside.
5 min: Mexico are VERY confident now, understandably. Dos Santos attempts a whizzing volley that cannons into a Paraguay defender’s back and off for a corner. Paraguay defend easily enough though.
GOAL! Mexico 1-0 Paraguay (Herrera 3)
Well, that didn’t take long. A free-kick is swung in and Herrera edges ahead of his marker to poke the ball home on the volley. A simple goal. It’s Herrera’s first full cap too.
1 min: And we’re off to raucous cheers. Mexico are in black and green, Paraguay in their familiar red and white. Jiminez tries a bold, dipping shot from around 45-yards out. It would have dipped under the keeper’s despairing reach if the keeper had been 100-feet tall, in a 120-foot tall goal. Bold, though.
Welcome to Arrowhead, which I estimate to be half-fullish. It’s a scheduled 9pm ET start but looks like they’re messing about while Baseball Tonight finishes. Apparently, Mike Trout is the best player in baseball. That news did not require a spoiler alert. The camera is showing Jiminez and Reyes warming up – just two of the less experienced players who will he hoping to make an impression on Herrera tonight.
Eslewhere tonight, it turns out that Portugal aren’t as good when Ronaldo isn’t playing. Just ask Cape Verde.
Mexico should be comfortable winners this evening. They’ve been in decent form since the World Cup, gaining revenge for their defeat at the hands of Holland in Brazil, with a victory over the Dutch in a friendly. Having said that, the Dutch haven’t been in the best of form of late (a friendly win over Spain earlier today being the exception). Paraguay, on the other hand, have won just one of their last seven games, a friendly against Peru.
While we wait, we may as well bring you some Miguel Herrera photos. Because ... Miguel Herrera:
What’s at stake tonight:
1) These two teams could meet again in a few months at the Copa America, which Mexico have been invited to join as special guests. Think of them as the footballing equivalent of a jobbing but respected actor invited to guest star as a suspect in Murder She Wrote. Paraguay will play without an invitation. Because they’re actually in South America.
2) Mexico aren’t finished there though. Tonight will also be a chance of a run-out before the Gold Cup, which Mexico will play in about 2.48 hours after the Copa America finishes (someone give these men a holiday). The Gold Cup will be hosted by the US (and, OK, Canada) this year which leads us to the fact that ...
3) Tonight will give Mexico a chance to test their legs out on US soil. We are coming live from Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. Well, I’m in New York, but that’s not the point. Mexico will also play in the US next month when they play, um, the US in San Antonio.
And a good evening to you.First up, the important stuff. Here’s this evening teams. While Paraguay get straight to the point and just list the players’ names:
#Alineación @Corona_Futbol de @Albirroja: Villar, Balbuena, Da Silva, Aguilar, Moreira, Oviedo, Ortiz, Piris, Romero, Bobadilla y Barrios.
— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) March 31, 2015
Mexico deliver a rather delightful selection of portraits of their starting eleven:
Esta es nuestra #Alineación presentada por @Corona_Futbol #AquíEstamos pic.twitter.com/N97tytMT43
— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) March 31, 2015
How happy is Jonathan Dos Santos in that picture? Maybe because his brother only managed to make the bench tonight making Jonathan officially the best footballer in his family.
Tom will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s the report from USA’s draw with Switzerland earlier today:
A late goal has once again proved the undoing of Jürgen Klinsmann’s US side, who depart Zürich with no answer to their end of games troubles. At least this time it wasn’t a fatal blow.
Klinsmann is using the year between World and Gold cups to rebuild his side, though his two major changes for this clash against Switzerland, ranked 12th in the world, were both forced on him. Fabian Johnson was a late omission due to “illness”, replaced by fellow Ger-merican Alfredo Morales. Aron Johansson’s toe infection allowed young LA Galaxy attacker Gyasi Zardes to be pushed forward, opening space in the midfield for Danny Williams to get his first start in over two years. In defense, Greg Garza made way for Brek Shea.
Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic took the break from Euro 2016 qualifiers to experiment with his squad, turning over more than his half his team from the weekend’s rout of Estonia. Haris Seferovic and Granit Xhaka, two of that game’s three scorers, were rested. No such chances were taken with Xherdan Shaqiri, the man with all three assists that night, and the man known in these parts as the ‘power dwarf’ ran the show for the home side right from the start
