The Mexico national team delivered a surprisingly strong performance against a mighty opponent, drawing 1–1 vs. Belgium on Tuesday night in Chicago.
El Tri was vastly superior than Belgium in the first half, limiting it to one total shot, overwhelmingly dominating the midfield and looking menacing in the final third. An opportunistic Jorge Sánchez made Mexico’s superiority translate to the scoresheet when he tucked in a rebound to put Mexico ahead at the break.
The joy was short-lived, though, as Dodi Lukébakio’s stunning curler equalized for Belgium immediately out of the tunnel. Mexico wasn’t able to keep up its dominance as the game became chaotic following 16 total substitutions. The European side ended the game slightly better, but Mexico never really looked at risk of losing the game.
Unlike in Saturday’s draw against Portugal, in which Mexico was largely outplayed, the performance against Belgium was far more promising. In any case, Mexico didn’t lose either of its friendlies against two top 10-ranked opponents, which isn’t an easy feat—just ask the U.S. men’s national team.
In the final game before Javier Aguirre presents his preliminary 2026 World Cup roster, Mexico produced one of the most competitive showings of the manager’s tenure.
One Thing We Can’t Ignore
Unlike against Portugal, Aguirre placed Álvaro Fidalgo closer to the base of midfield and towards the left, allowing him to better organize Mexico’s positions from deep. With Julián Quiñones on the left wing but drifting centrally, and Brían Gutiérrez also marauding between the lines with freedom to roam, Mexico’s midfield looked uncharacteristically fluid.
El Tri lack players that can exploit space and are overflowing with players that enjoy receiving the ball at their feet. In the past, this has led to a lack of fluidity in the final third and slow possessions, but against Belgium, with this midfield set-up and cast of characters, Mexico looked dynamic.
From the starting whistle, quick touch and go combinations, screens, back heels and lightning fast exchanges confused Belgium’s midfield and backline, who didn’t know who to mark and were a step late to try and intervene.
These combinations allowed Mexico to set up higher up the pitch, allowing Quiñones and Gutiérrez to play closer closer to Raúl Jiménez, getting the Fulham forward involved in the construction of attacks, one of his most underrated qualities.
In the opening 15 minutes, Mexico completely stole the ball away from Belgium and looked threatening, mustering five shots with two forcing Matz Sels to intervene, already doubling the amount of shots on goal it produced all game against Portugal on Saturday.
Mexico continued to dominate the entirety of the first half. Considering the context and the rival in front, El Tri played the best 45 minutes of the Aguirre era on Tuesday night and it was all thanks to the synergy Fidalgo, Gutiérrez and Quiñones created. Not bad for it being the first time the trio started a game together.
At last, with dynamic technicians on the pitch, Mexico looked imaginative and dangerous. Find a way to add teenage sensation and playmaker Gilberto Mora to the equation and Aguirre might’ve just figured out a way to end El Tri’s significant attacking woes.
Mexico Player Ratings vs. Belgium (4-3-3)
GK: Raúl Rangel—6.0: Good at playing out of the back, unfortunately for him there was nothing he could do to stop a stellar strike.
RB: Jorge Sánchez—8.0: Stayed tight on young Mika Godts defensively, dominating his main responsibility and then was in the right place at the right time to pounce on a rebound to put Mexico ahead.
CB: César Montes—6.5: Dominant in every aspect, frustrating Openda and, like his partner alongside him, pressing forward to force the issue rather than reacting, leading to El Tri winning the ball back fast and away from dangerous areas.
CB: Johan Vásquez—7.6: Yet another imposing defensive performance at the back. He ventured forward even past the halfway line with confidence to help Mexico advance and begin possessions higher up the pitch.
LB: Jesús Gallardo—7.1: Gallardo was his quietly solid self, always available to receive the ball at different heights on the left flank to oxygenate possessions. Although he was mostly stout defensively, he probably could’ve been a little tighter to prevent Lukébakio’s strike.
DM: Erik Lira—6.6: Edson Álvarez better return to from injury at a high level because Lira has done everything in his power to prove he deserves to be a World Cup starter. Pocketed none other than Kevin De Bruyne.
CM: Brian Gutiérrez—6.9: The most intelligent Mexican player on the pitch, finding Axel Witsel’s blind-spot to receive between the lines and dart forward, showcasing his excellent ball-carrying ability.
CM: Álvaro Fidalgo—6.5: The game slowed down whenever the ball rested at Fidalgo’s feet who seemingly never misplaced a pass and showed exactly what he can offer in the heart of the midfield.
RM: Orbelín Pineda—6.9: The less involved Mexican attacker, but partly a victim of a position he’s a stranger to. Isolated on the wing, he failed to join the fun that his teammates in central areas were having.
ST: Raúl Jiménez—6.8: With Gutierrez and Quiñones playing closer to him, Jiménez’s link-up quality was on full display with a couple of nice dummies and back-heels. Quality showing, even if he didn’t have a single shot.
LM: Julián Quiñones—7.4: Active early and often, linking up with other midfielders and making nice diagonal, inside runs that resulted in threatening actions. Another very bright showing.
SUB: Armando González (68’ for Jiménez)—6.0: Wasn’t involved in the slightest, managing just six touches in 20 minutes.
SUB: Israel Reyes (69’ for Sánchez)—6.3: Stellar defensively shutting down the game-changing Jérémy Doku.
SUB: Obed Vargas (69’ for Fidalgo)—6.2: Struggled to get in contact in the ball as Belgium started to dominate possession late in the game.
SUB: Roberto Alvarado (69’ for Pineda)—6.3: Didn’t have any attacking impact but once again showed he’s more than capable defensively, helping out Reyes and even getting the better of Doku in an action where he was on an island against the Manchester City winger.
SUB: Alexis Vega (69’ for Quiñones)—6.0: Barely involved, a teasing set-piece delivery couldn’t find a recipient.
SUB: Erick Sánchez (84’ for Gutiérrez)—N/A
Subs not used: Carlos Acevedo (GK), Guillermo Ochoa (GK), Alexis Vega, Jesús Angulo, Guillermo Martínez, Denzell García, Carlos Rodríguez, Everardo López, Germán Berterame.
Belgium Player Ratings vs. Mexico (4-2-3-1)
GK: Matz Sels—6.3: Mishandled a shot early that he was lucky didn’t result in an egregious own goal. Didn’t look confident at all between the sticks.
RB: Timothy Castagne—6.1: Struggled to handle the energetic Quiñones and the fast-paced first half took a toll on him, needing medical attention for cramps.
CB: Koni De Winter—6.7: Had two nice interventions in the first half, blocking two shots that would have tested Sels behind him. Solid at the back.
CB: Nathan Ngoy—6.8: Careless in his distribution and looked nervous whenever he had to intervene.
LB: Maxim De Cuyper—6.6: Wasn’t afforded the freedom to roam forward, having to stay back to account for Pineda. A quiet night for the Brighton man.
DM: Axel Witsel—6.5: The dynamism of Mexico’s midfield overwhelmed the veteran, who was chasing shadows for much of the night.
DM: Youri Tielemans—7.8: Was uncharacteristically erratic in his distribution but a quality play and nice pass led to the action of Lukébakio’s goal, collecting an assist.
RW: Dodi Lukébakio—7.0: Didn’t make an impact in the first half but the first chance he had space to operate in a dangerous area he scored an absolute screamer.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne—6.3: Didn’t get a chance to pull the strings of the attack, only given space to operate deep inside his own half. Was lucky not to get red carded for a nasty kick.
LW: Mika Godts—6.3: Nowhere to be found all game, completely outshone by Sánchez marking him. Exited the match before he could make any noticeable contributions.
ST: Loïs Openda—6.0: A passenger up front all game, drifting in deep waters battling by himself against Mexico’s center backs. A difficult night for the Juventus forward.
SUB: Thomas Meunier (63’ for Castagne)—6.5: The veteran was hardly involved in his cameo but made a nice interception to thwart an attack.
SUB: Amadou Onana (63’ for Tielemans)—6.6: Helped Belgium sustain longer possessions from the moment he entered the pitch.
SUB: Charles De Ketelaere (63’ for Openda)—7.0: Looked full of energy and made some good combinations with Doku, but couldn’t get a clean look on goal.
SUB: Nicolas Raskin (63’ for Witsel)—6.6: Stopped a pair of potentially dangerous counter-attacks with some timely interceptions.
SUB: Jérémy Doku (63’ for Godts)—6.5: Instantly got Sánchez booked after entering the contest but was contained by Reyes and Alvarado, quickly having two markers on top of him when he got the ball.
SUB: Arthur Theate (72’ for Ngoy)—6.6: Deservedly got booked for a late challenge soon after coming on.
SUB: Joaquin Seys (72’ for De Bruyne)—6.4: Sideways passes were the extend of his involvement.
SUB: Zeno Debast (72’ for De Winter)—6.1: Wasn’t troubled defensively in the slightest.
SUB: Alexis Saelemaekers (72’ for De Cuypers)—6.2: A dangerous delivery from the AC Milan man couldn’t be tapped-in from any of his incoming teammates.
SUB: Lucas Stassin (72’ for Lukébakio)—6.2: Had just seven touches in his 20 minute cameo.
Subs not used: Senne Lammens (GK), Maarten Vandevoordt (GK), Brandon Mechele, Nathan De Cat.
What the Ratings Tell Us
- In César Montes and Johan Vásquez, Mexico has a center back pairing that will allow it to compete against anyone. The duo is playing at arguably the highest level of their careers and the chemistry they’ve developed is arguably El Tri’s biggest strength.
- What Brian Gutiérrez has been able to provide just five games into his career with Mexico is nothing short of brilliant. The Mexican-American was the best player on the pitch at times against Belgium and it seems like Aguirre has found his Marcel Ruiz replacement.
- For the second game in a row, Julián Quiñones make a very strong case to be included for El Tri. The last two games were perhaps the best Quiñones has looked for Mexico in years and after plenty of uncertainty surrounding his name, he likely secured his place in the World Cup roster over the past week.
- He’ll be happy to contribute with a goal but Jorge Sánchez was flawless defensively, completing one of his best performances in his national team career. He needed a good showing after failing to feature against Portugal, and he did exactly that.
The Numbers That Explain El Tri’s Strong Showing Against Belgium
- In only 45 minutes, Mexico produced three shots on goal and nine total shots after managing just 10 total attempts and one hit on target in the entirety of Saturday’s match against Portugal.
- After not registering a single corner against Portugal, El Tri scored with its first corner of the game against Belgium, capitalizing on an area that’s become a strength under Aguirre.
- Belgium had 21 total shots and 10 of them on goal against the USMNT. Mexico limited Rudi García’s side to just five attempts, with only two of them on target.
- In two games against Portugal and Belgium during the March international window, Mexico allowed just four shots on goal in 180 minutes against the pair of European juggernauts.
| Statistic | Mexico | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 48% | 52% |
| Total Shots | 10 | 5 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 2 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 84% | 86% |
| Fouls | 14 | 20 |
| Corners | 3 | 2 |
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
- 2026 World Cup Lineup Complete After Dramatic Night of Playoffs
- ‘Unlike Anything Before’—USMNT Makes Emergency Switch to New World Cup Jersey
- ’No Threat’—Jose Mourinho Rips Portugal Without Cristiano Ronaldo
- Three Key Takeaways From the USMNT’s Disappointing Fall to Portugal
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mexico vs. Belgium Player Ratings: Encouraging Draw Boosts El Tri’s World Cup Mood.
