Mexico 3-1 Uruguay
Well, there you have it. The most exciting game of the tournament thus far comes to an end and Mexico - who at one point seemed as if they were going to lose the game - win it in spectacular fashion. Osorio’s squad is an exciting unit, attacking the opposition at any given opportunity. A big loss will be Guardado as to me, in many ways, he is the most important player for El Tri. Uruguay can find solace in the fact that the next game will be very different indeed and the support won’t feel so one-sided. Diego Godin was fantastic and clearly makes a case for the best defender in the world but in the end it came to the 37-year-old man, Rafael Marquez. WHAT A FINISH.
Thanks for joining me and I’ll see you tomorrow for another juicy fixture: Argentina vs Chile.
P.S Here is the Anthem fiasco, revisited.
Have a great Monday.
End of match
90+3: Mexico nearly got a fourth but it’s all over and Mexico win it 3-1. Uruguay still complaining to the ref as Mexican fans celebrate. A third goal is crucial for Mexico as they are now clear leaders of Group C. What a game!
Goal! Mexico 3-1 Uruguay (Herrera 90+1)
90+1: Wow, at first it seemed Lozano was going to go to the corner but then he proceeds to drive towards goal, it diverts from Jimenez’s feet and Herrera heads it in. 3-1. Uruguay haven’t conceded 3 goals in a very long time.
Here’s the goal from the oldest player on the pitch.
Had to be Rafa. What a hit #CA2016 https://t.co/gfm6K1O1eB
— SOCCER.COM (@soccerdotcom) June 6, 2016
We are going to play four minutes of stoppage time.
89 min: The long balls are all aiming for the box as Uruguay keep looking. Godin with an effort but it goes wide.
87 min: Uruguay pushing again and Godin is basically playing upfront. A missed pass goes wide and it’s a goal kick for Mexico.
Goal! Mexico 2-1 Uruguay (Marquez 84)
84 min: And it’s the captain, 37-year-old Rafael Marquez with a beautiful strike from the corner. Uruguay complain that it was offside but it won’t matter, it’s 2-1. The stadium goes wild!
83 min: Mexico pushing for the winner as Lozano crosses it but Muslera picks it up. Last sub for Mexico as Chicharito comes off and Jimenez comes in. Some size is added. Mexico with two corners trying to find the net but Uruguay hold on! Ramirez comes on for Sanchez for Uruguay. This is crazy, Godin gets a yellow as emotions are high in the penalty box.
Thanks for the email, Angus! It was a second yellow so not a straight red but I still don’t think it was even that! I have to see it again.
“What a game! Uruguay level it but do you think it was a red card for Guardado?”
76 min: Regarding the Guardado incident. Apparently the ref got word from his assistant about the foul but it still doesn’t make sense as it didn’t seem that malicious. We’ll see what happens after the game.
Goal! Mexico 1-1 Uruguay (Godin 73)
73 min: What a header by the captain and of course it comes from a free-kick! Wow. Just wow, 10-man Uruguay are playing as if they have 14 men out there. Now it’s all even. Huge blow for Mexico as they have lost their architect for the next game.
Updated
72 min: This is unbelievable. Guardado is sent off and the cameras didn’t catch it. Was it for a foul he committed earlier on Sanchez?
70 min: An assistant from the Mexican staff is being sent off. Free-kick for Uruguay and Talavera gets caught in no-mans land as he leaves his own box! Cavani looks for a team-mate but the keeper rushes back to clear it and hitting one of his team-mates in the process.
68 min: A great cross into the box for Chicharito but he just can’t get a solid connection and Muslera picks it up. That would have ended the game, I think.
66 min: Cavani with a free-kick, 35 yards out, smashes it into the wall. La Celeste playing much better though, looking for that equalizer. Guardado gets fouled again and it’s a yellow for M. Pereira.
Here’s another stat: Uruguay has scored more second-half goals than any other country at Copa America.
Now, with a lot of heart and 10 men, Uruguay playing better than Mexico.
Ahora Uruguay, con mucho corazón y 10 jugadores, juega mejor que México.
— Pablo Mariño (@PabloFMarino) June 6, 2016
62 min: Uruguay feeling the urgency as they are now taking advantage of even long throws. Sub for Mexico: Corona off, Dueñas on.
59 min: WOW. What an unbelievable miss! Godín breaks the play from his own half and passes it but Rolan - who is now off for Hernandez - missed an open goal. Unbelievable. This should be 1-1.
56 min: Cavani on the left hand side wins a corner. A great chance for Uruguay in the box but it’s offside. With 10 men, as I predicted, they are playing much better soccer, carefully assessing their passes and movement.
I agree, not his best game, but things also change drastically when you play with 10 men. He’ll be doing a lot of running.
@lmechegaray will the real Cavani pls stand up??? when will he start performing for Uruguay????
— Mr J (@jnr_jinx) June 6, 2016
54 min: Sub for Mexico as Lozano comes in for Aquino. There is no change in talent, here. This kid is the real deal.
49 min: Uruguay definitely aiming for every dead ball opportunity. A good corner ends up with a header just going wide. Guardado is stretchered off the field. That to me, would be the biggest loss for El Tri. Everything goes through him.
45 min: Peep! Second half begins. Uruguay get a free-kick. They’re going to take advantage of every dead ball situation.
Updated
The teams are leaving the tunnel and entering the field. Uruguay appear determined, Mexico confident. Should be an intriguing second half.
Meanwhile, Martino pretty much confirming Messi’s omission for tomorrow’s game against Chile.
#CopaAmerica: Martino mantiene duda por Messi para enfrentar a Chile https://t.co/y1sgCKPt90 pic.twitter.com/cUn7DDYIZe
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) June 6, 2016
En español.
Un comunicado oficial del Comité Organizador Local de la Copa América Centenario... pic.twitter.com/OuTCPdaiRb
— Copa América 2016_sp (@CA2016_sp) June 6, 2016
By the way: We need to ask Fox and Univision to have a camera fixed only on Luis Suarez. He was acting as assistant manager in the first half yelling instructions for 45 minutes. We need eyes on him.
Official, instant apology from CA officials. I do hope there’s one en español.
A statement from Copa America Centenario LOC... pic.twitter.com/9R1QBUZHwd
— Copa América 2016 (@CA2016) June 6, 2016
Half-time
Well, a terrible half for Uruguay and it all started with the wrong national anthem. Pereira scores an own goal and Vecino gets sent off on two yellow cards. I can’t see Uruguay doing anything but as we saw from Jamaica, sometimes playing with 10 men can make you play better.
Updated
44 min: And that’s a second yellow for Vecino as he catches Tecatito Corona late. Sent off! There is no way back for Uruguay now.
42 min: What a fantastic pass by Layún to Chicharito as he plays on the last man. Shot is blocked for a corner! What a chance! Corner goes wide and Muslera with the goal-kick.
39 min: Another corner for Mexico as the interplay in the box is beautifully assembled. Muslera collects the corner and passes it short. Mexico press the moment it happens.
36 min: Another late challenge by Pereira and Aquino goes down. You could see all Pereira wanted to do was hurt him. It worked. He needs treatment and play stops.
Here is Talavera’s save.
#MEXvURU: Talavera le quita el empate a Cavani con esta increíble atajada. For the #TrueDirt de @ToyotaLatino pic.twitter.com/OQIA3iPM5C
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) June 6, 2016
34 min: Aquino brilliantly goes down the right hand side for a cross but nothing comes out of it. The speed of this team is terrifying. Aquino sends it in again and Uruguay can only clear it for a corner. A powerful header goes into the hands of Muslera.
Updated
29 min: Wow. What a save from Talavera! Cavani was one-on-one with the keeper and Talavera with no regard for his body, stands up tall and blocks it. Great save.
Pereira’s year: Sanctioned for 8 matches, sent off on his Getafe debut, Getafe get relegated, own goal at Copa America.
El año de Á. Pereira:
— La casa del fútbol (@casadelfutbol) June 6, 2016
-Sanción de 8 partidos.
-Expulsión en debut con Getafe
-Descenso Getafe
-Gol en pp en #Copa100 pic.twitter.com/gi2y8E6dQa
26 min: Yellow for Vecino. Two bookings in the space of 2 minutes. I don’t think Cavani has touched the ball more than once.
25 min: Mexico play in a similar fashion to Leicester City. Aggressive pressing, counter at every occasion, shoot if you see fit. Another free-kick for Mexico, Guardado with the cross but it’s cleared away. Guardado with a yellow for an awful tackle.
Soccer’s crying Michael Jordan meme?
Alvaro Pereira has scored the fastest #CopaAmerica own-goal in its 100-year history #MEXvURU pic.twitter.com/VziuXdaFeD
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) June 6, 2016
19 min: Seems like Uruguay will have to rely heavily on the long ball as they have no room to breathe in the middle. A long throw by Layún ends in the hands of Muslera. Meanwhile we’re getting word that Suarez might come back in the last game of the group stages.
15 min: Pereira gets penalized for a challenge and he’s really not having a good game right now. Corner for Mexico as, yup you guessed it, Pereira puts it out. There is zero creativity with La Celeste right now as Mexico keeps controlling the game.
11 min: As expected much of the focus for Mexico will be in the midfield and the right and left backs will push up for the game. Uruguay will have a lot to do in the central areas as Herrera will make it tough.
MOMA will take it.
Put Guardado's cross in a museum. #MEXvURU
— Eric Gomez (@EricGomez86) June 6, 2016
Here’s the first goal. Look at that cross.
#MEXvURU: Así fue el primero de México por conducto de Héctor Herrera. #UDCentenario #CopaAmerica #Copa100 https://t.co/VmAGFly09B
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) June 6, 2016
7 min: Mexico are in control in the early stages of this game and the crowd have started early with the “Olé” chants. Free-kick for Mexico 35 yards from the goal. Uruguay are most definitely in Mexico City.
Updated
GOAL! Mexico 1-0 Uruguay (Pereira OG 4)
4 min: What a start! Guardado with an incredible cross from the left hand side in the danger zone and Pereira can’t deal with it. Amazing start.
Awkward.
The wrong anthem plays for Uruguay. #Awkward #CopaAmerica #MEXvURU pic.twitter.com/UjDXe6R4Ha
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) June 6, 2016
Kick-off
1 min: Peep! We’re off! Mexico in their away kit, all white and Uruguay in their classic Sky Blue. Huge mistake by Copa: They played the CHILEAN NATIONAL ANTHEM instead of the Uruguayan. Not a good start.
The anthems are done and we’re ready to go. I think there was an issue with the sound because not one single Uruguayan was singing. Good thing too because the original is a long one...it’s a hot evening and the atmosphere seems hostile to say the least. I think this is going to be a good one. Stay tuned, a moment of silence for The Greatest, Muhammad Ali and next up we kick-off!
Updated
The teams are out and singing their anthems. Both teams look extremely focused. As I said in my predictions earlier this week, this feels like a home game for Mexico. The Mexican anthem can be heard across the state.
It doesn’t have Azteca’s history or its crowd, but the University of Phoenix definitely feels Mexican tonight.
No tiene la historia ni el empaque del Azteca, pero el University of Phoenix sí suena mexicano#CopaAmerica #Copa100 pic.twitter.com/jRyno96GW3
— La casa del fútbol (@casadelfutbol) June 5, 2016
He also needs two more goals to tie Jared Borgetti’s record.
Chicharito is the fastest player to get to 20 goals (27 games) & 30 goals (45 games) with Mexico. #CopaAmerica pic.twitter.com/j84Gh3t02K
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 5, 2016
The teams have gone back to the locker-rooms and we’re now 10 minutes away from kick-off!
Some stats for you: Mexico and Uruguay have faced each other five times in Copa America. El Tri has tied and won twice. Uruguay, however, has the most recent win, 1-0 in 2011 (when they won the tournament)
I know we were going heavy on Fox a few minutes ago but this is a great little video that deserves attention. Nicely done.
.@GrantWahl and @FernandoFiore on how #CopaAmerica highlights the Latin influence on American soccer. #MyCopaColors https://t.co/q8t6FWlPPF
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 5, 2016
Agreed. We really need some goals. I doubt it will happen here though...since the beginning of 2015 only one team has scored more than one goal against Uruguay: Argentina.
FT: VEN 1, JAM 0. That's four goals in five games in Copa America so far. You're up Mexico and Uruguay.
— Andrew Das (@AndrewDasNYT) June 5, 2016
A major talking point amongst Mexican fans has been the controversial chant, “eh pu....” Earlier this week, the national team launched the campaign, “Stop Now” to eradicate it.
Selección Mexicana lanza campaña de "Ya Párale" para erradicar el polémico grito en #CA2016 https://t.co/ZdkGmjnFD5 pic.twitter.com/mTQ3jlUw2G
— AS México (@ASMexico) June 4, 2016
I think I have created a mini-revolution. Please don’t hurt me, Alexi.
@lmechegaray Lord, forget @AlexiLalas -- Fox can't keep its damned feed up and running smoothly. Vamanos @Univision !!!
— Robi Polgar (@robipolgar) June 5, 2016
Food for thought: One of the greatest things about watching the game on Univisión is that Hristo Stoichkov is a co-commentator for the network. He is a very good analyst. Or you can stay with Alexi Lalas...
Here are the line-ups:
Mexico lineup: Talavera; Araujo, Reyes, Moreno, Layun; Herrera, Marquez, Guardado; Corona, Chicharito, Aquino. #MEXvURU #ElTri #MyCopaColors
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 5, 2016
Preamble
Hello everyone and welcome to the second match of Group C as the third day of Copa America concludes with a tasty match-up as a confident Mexico - winners of last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup - meet an experienced Uruguay, the 2011 Copa America champions.
Earlier this week I predicted Mexico to not just get out of the group but that they’ll win the tournament . El Tri hasn’t lost a match since June 19, 2015 during last summer’s Copa, and since October last year they have won every game without a conceding a single goal. Since Juan Carlos Osorio took over, the team has implemented an aggressive style mixed with a disciplined defensive mentality. Osorio is a straight, no-nonsense communicator who has clearly stated not one squad member has a sure spot in the team.
It could be fair to say that these quirks and philosophies are the reason why Mexico are doing so well but the truth of the matter is that they also have one of the most talented teams in the competition, and I’m not just talking about Chicharito (who by the way is two goals away from tying Jared Borgetti’s 44 goals as the nation’s all-time leading scorer.)
Uruguay, however, will not be intimidated. Oscar Tabarez brought the best team possible for the Centenario and even without Luis Suarez, they are a force to be reckoned with. All eyes on Edinson Cavani, whohad a great season with PSG by scoring 25 goals in 52 appearances. For his country it’s not too shabby either as he has 32 goals in 81 matches. Yet, the real focus is on their defensive mentality. Led by their leader, Diego Godín, La Celeste are extremely difficult to score against and one of the main reasons they lead the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers is because they have only conceded four goals. In fact, it’s so rare to score against them that since the beginning of 2015 only Argentina has scored more than once against them.
If there ever was a game where we can describe it as an immovable object vs an unstoppable force it’s this one. I’ll be back with the line-ups and remember you can email me or send me a tweet @lmechegaray.
Updated
Luis will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s David Gendelman on why Mexico have home advantage in the States:
At the final whistle of Mexico’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Canada in Mexico City in March, home fans celebrated not by singing Cielito Lindo – the 19th century song often heard at Mexico’s soccer matches that has come to represent national pride – but instead by showering the national team with a chorus of boos and whistles. The Mexican players and coaching staff might have been surprised by the reaction. The win, after all, was the team’s fourth straight in qualifying. In those four games, Mexico had not given up a single goal, outscoring its opponents 10-0. The victory also marked Mexico’s eighth straight win in official international competitions (all of which were against its regional Concacaf opponents). Counting friendlies, including a 2-2 draw against Argentina in September in Arlington, Texas, it was Mexico’s 17th straight undefeated match.
But many of the 75,000 fans in attendance at Mexico City’s historic Estadio Azteca weren’t reacting to the positive result on top of the series of other positive results. They were responding to the Mexican team’s lackluster second-half performance, which began with Mexico ahead 2-0 and consisted largely of a routine execution of a harmless game of keep-away.
Yet no matter how the Mexican team plays this month at Copa America Centenario, which for Mexico begins on Sunday against Uruguay, in Glendale, Arizona, that reaction is not one the Mexican team will receive. Mexico plays more of its “home” friendly matches every year in the United States than it does in Mexico, and it’s done so now for roughly the last 20 years. Its fan base in the States is so great that even for its games against the US, including last October’s Concacaf Cup in Pasadena, it has an indisputable fan advantage in most American stadiums. Which means that at this year’s Copa America, Mexico is the de facto premier home side. But Mexico’s fan base in the US is a decidedly different one than its base in Mexico, and a decidedly more forgiving one.
